Quiche Lorraine with Smoked Bacon and Gruyere
A buttery French classic, silky within
A proper quiche Lorraine is all about restraint: a crisp, buttery shortcrust holding a custard so silky it barely sets. This version stays faithful to that ideal while leaning into smoky depth, with crisp smoked bacon lardons and a generous handful of nutty Gruyere folded through. The secret to that meltingly soft filling is a gentle oven and pulling the tart while the centre still has a faint wobble. Serve warm, with a sharp green salad alongside.
Quiche Lorraine with Smoked Bacon and Gruyere
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100g cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2-3 tbsp cold water
- 200g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
- 3 eggs
- 200ml double cream
- 100ml whole milk
- 100g Gruyere, grated
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Rub the butter into the flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs, then bind with the egg yolk and cold water. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the pastry and line a 23cm tart tin, leaving a little overhang. Chill for 15 minutes.
- Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans and blind bake at 190C (170C fan) for 15 minutes.
- Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 8 minutes until the base is pale gold and dry. Trim the overhang.
- Meanwhile, fry the bacon lardons in a dry pan until crisp and golden, then drain.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk, and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.
- Scatter the bacon and most of the Gruyere over the pastry base.
- Pour over the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 180C (160C fan) for 30-35 minutes until just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
- Cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving warm.
3 The Story
Quiche Lorraine takes its name from the Lorraine region in north-eastern France, near the border with Germany, and the dish carries that frontier heritage in its very name. The word quiche is widely thought to derive from the German Kuchen, meaning cake, a reminder of the cultural overlap that has long shaped the cooking of this part of France. In its earliest, most traditional form the quiche Lorraine was a simple affair: an open pastry case filled with a custard of eggs and cream, enriched with pieces of smoked pork. It was rustic food, born of a farming region and reliant on ingredients that kept well.
What may surprise modern cooks is that the original quiche Lorraine contained no cheese at all. The custard was made purely from eggs, cream and bacon, and purists have long argued that adding cheese disqualifies a tart from bearing the Lorraine name outright. The addition of Gruyere, the nutty, firm Alpine cheese, is therefore the gentle twist here, a nod to the many later versions that have become just as beloved as the original. Gruyere melts smoothly into the custard and lends a savoury richness that complements rather than overwhelms the smoky bacon.
The technique matters more than the ingredient list. Blind baking the pastry shell before filling it is the surest way to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom, giving the base a chance to crisp and dry out before the wet custard goes in. The custard itself rewards a light touch. A ratio weighted towards cream and milk, rather than too many eggs, keeps the texture luxuriously soft rather than firm and rubbery. Baking at a moderate temperature and removing the quiche while the centre still trembles slightly allows the residual heat to finish setting it gently as it cools.
The result is a tart that manages to be both humble and elegant, equally at home on a brunch table or a picnic blanket. Served warm, the contrast of crisp pastry, smoky bacon and that barely set, savoury custard is what has kept this regional French classic on tables across the world for well over a century.
Related Content
