March 25, 2018

Quiche Lorraine: A Classic Cheesy Bacon Quiche

Name: Quiche Lorraine
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 9- inch frozen Pie Crust (gluten-free or regular); 1 8- ounce package Bacon; ¼ cup chopped Yellow Onion; 5 large Eggs; 1 1/4 cups Half & Half; ¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon White Pepper; ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt; 1 ¼ cups shredded Gruyere Cheese; 1 ½ tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens (chives or garlic scapes may be substituted)

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Classic Quiche Lorraine is a timeless cheesy bacon quiche recipe that is easy to make, perfect for any meal and great all year long! A great brunch dish and for Easter meals!

Spring is trying to spring and new flavors are arriving daily in grocery stores and Farmer’s Markets. I crave the bright bitter greens that are new to the season and a changeup of what we’ve been eating over the winter. Getting my brunch on is also something I’m loving right now and there is nothing better for that than quiche.

A seasonal quiche recipe I love is Springtime Asparagus Leek Romenesco Quiche. Sometimes a classic recipe is all you need for a fabulous meal and today’s recipe for Quiche Lorraine is one of those. A simple, cheesy bacon quiche that is packed with flavor and so easy to make!

Quiche was one of the first things I learned to cook when I began living on my own in college. It seemed so sophisticated. I loved that you could make it for any meal and it was perfect.

What I didn’t really understand then, that I know now, is that it’s very hard to mess it up. It’s also very EASY to change it up and swap in favorite seasonal ingredients and seasonings.

Today we are going back to the basics with Quiche Lorraine.

What is Quiche Lorraine?

Whether you recall the vogue of quiche in the 1970’s and 1980’s, or maybe the reference in the B-52’s songof the same name (though that was about a Great Dane named Quiche Lorraine), there is no separating the identify of quiche in general with the classic Quiche Lorraine.

Quiche Lorraine was invented in Germany, and like other quiches is a savory custard pie. It is a bacon quiche, filled with gruyere cheese, along with eggs, milk or cream, spices and onion. It’s a flavor-packed recipe and for those more iffy about eggs, it does not taste ‘eggy’.

Blind Baking the Crust

One of the key things that makes a quiche delicious is the consistency of the crust. You’ve undoubtedly had a soggy crusted quiche at a brunch buffet. That is because the crust was not ‘blind baked’ before filling it and baking it.

‘Blind Baking’ means the same thing as pre-baking. You don’t have to do it blindfolded (lol). A pie crust is lined with foil (with enough sticking out on the sides that the contents can be lifted out safely mid baking), filled withpie weightsor dried beans, and partially baked.

The weighted filling and foil are then lifted out, the pie crust pierced with fork tines (to keep it from puffing up) and baked longer. Then it’s filled and finally baked to make a delicious quiche.

And it can be done with a frozen prepared pie crust right out of the freezer!

Cheesy Bacon Quiche using a Frozen Crust – A Delicious Time Saver

The recipe I’m sharing today is made with a frozen pie crust. I used a frozen gluten-free crust (Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse to be exact) though a traditional frozen gluten crust may also be used.

If you keep frozen pie crusts in your freezer as I do, you can have this recipe on the table in a little over an hour.

How to Make Quiche Lorraine using a Frozen Pie Crust – Step by Step:

First the crust will be blind baked. The oven is preheated, the frozen pie crust is placed on a baking sheet, lined with foil, and filled 2/3’s full of pie weights or dried beans. It is baked for 20 minutes, the foil and weights are removed, the crust is pierced with fork tines and baked 5-10 minutes more.

While the crust is baking, chopped bacon is sautéed followed by some onions. A special shortcut makes this bacon quiche a breeze to prepare!

Bacon Prep Shortcut Tip: remove the bacon from the package without separating the slices. Cut the bacon as a whole into ½-inch strips then in ½-inch strips the opposite way. Place all the bacon into a large preferably non-stick skillet and as it cooks it will separate into individual pieces.

Eggs, half and half, white pepper, nutmeg and salt are whisked together. When the crust is done, the bacon, onions and cheese are added to the crust.

The egg mixture is poured in and finished with some extra cheese and onions greens. The quiche is baked for 30-40 minutes and allowed to rest. It can be served warm or chilled for a later meal. The flavor is the best served warm or at room temperature.

More Brunch Recipe Ideas You’ll Love:

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5 from 31 votes

Quiche Lorraine

Classic Quiche Lorraine is a flavor-packed bacon, cheese and onion quiche. This recipe uses a frozen pie crust so no pie crust prep is required. Gluten-free or regular pie crusts may be used.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Keyword cheese and bacon quiche, quiche lorraine

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 409 kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

1 9- inch frozen Pie Crust gluten-free or regular
1 8- ounce package Bacon
¼ cup chopped Yellow Onion
5 large Eggs
1 1/4 cups Half & Half
¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon White Pepper
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 ¼ cups shredded Gruyere Cheese
1 ½ tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens chives or garlic scapes may be substituted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Blind Baking the frozen pie crust: Place the frozen pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line the inside of the pie crust with a piece of foil covering the crust and extended a few inches on either side (refer to the photos). Fill 2/3’s full with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake the prepared crust for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights, pierce the crust bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 5-10 additional minutes.
While the crust is blind baking, cut the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Refer to Bacon Prep Shortcut in blog post. Cook over medium-high until the bacon is cooked but NOT crisp. Remove to drain on 2 layers of paper towels.
Remove all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet. Add the onion to the skillet on medium-high heat and cook until transluscent. Remove and add to the bacon.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the eggs, half & half, nutmeg, white pepper and salt; whisk to combine. Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir together.
Once the pie crust has finished blind baking (leave it on a rimmed baking sheet for easier handling and stability when baking), sprinkle the bacon and onions evenly into the crust. Pour the egg mixture on top, stirring it if necessary to have an even distribution of cheese.
Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of grated cheese on the top followed by the sliced onions greens. Bake for 30-35 minutes on 350 until golden brown on top. NOTE: the middle may jiggle slightly but will solidify when cooling (a knife may be inserted in the middle and should come out clean). Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving.
May be served warm or cool. For best flavor after refrigerating allow the quiche to come to room temperature.