Recipe: Quiche Lorraine

This recipe for Quiche Lorraine is a classic one. Growing up, my best friend was Michele. Her Mother was French Canadian and taught me to make this recipe….. actually she taught Michele and me. We were inseparable.

The beautiful thing about cooking at Michele’s house… she had 4 younger brothers… they ate anything… so while we learned… the not so perfect recipes got wolfed down anyway.

I used a ready-made pie crust because in the interests of time it was easier. You can do the same or use your favorite pie crust recipe.

Do-Ahead Tips

I wanted to make this for supper and didn’t want to prepare everything when I had to bake it… so I baked my pie crust about 5 or 6 hours before I needed it and set it aside uncovered….

I chopped the onion, julienned the ham and cheese slices ahead (I use ham…I rarely use bacon…it’s your choice…if you use bacon, you will have to crisply cook and crumble about 8 slices of bacon). I put in on a plate and covered it with plastic wrap and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the Quiche.

Cheese Info

I used Swiss cheese that was thinly sliced and I just made julienne slices. Gruyere is usually used, but I must warn you it is very expensive. One small piece will run you about $16 (US dollars)…. I love Gruyere… but for a weeknight supper… we use Swiss cheese.

Baking Tips

You will need to check on it frequently after the first 30 minutes or so of baking. You don’t want the edges to get too browned… if they start to brown… lay foil over the edges.

I needed to bake mine just over 1 hour… which is what I typically have to do… my oven is pretty accurate…. after about 50 minutes of baking I would recommend you check the center by inserting a knife… if it comes out clean… it’s done… this way you prevent over-baking. If it’s not done… check in 10 minutes again.

Let the Quiche rest about 10 minutes after baking for easier cutting.

Pie Crust Tip

I made this one with a pre-made pie crust, which I thought was greasy enough… the directions on the box didn’t recommend spraying the Quiche dish with spray oil… my crust stuck in spots… next time if I’m using a pre-made crust… I will spray the bottom lightly with butter flavored spray oil.

Whew!... those are the tips for success for a Quiche Lorraine and pointers on doing it in advance.

I hope you find this helpful.








Recipe:  Quiche Lorraine

All you need:

1 pie crust for a 9-inch Quiche or Pie Plate
1 cup julienned thinly sliced deli ham OR 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups half and half cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

All you need to do:

Prepare the pie crust according to package directions … or follow your recipe.
Gently press the pie crust into the dish.

Carefully line the pastry with a double thickness of foil…gently pressing the bottom and sides and corners. Make sure the foil reaches about an inch past the rim.

Place pie weights or dried beans in the bottom to prevent shrinkage.

I baked my pie crust for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F.

Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients (slicing and chopping).

Allow pie crust to cool slightly after baking. **you can stop here if you are making this ahead**

Sprinkle ½ the ham slices on the bottom of the crust.

Sprinkle ½ the cheese slices on top of the ham.

Sprinkle remaining ham slices.

Sprinkle remaining cheese slices.

Sprinkle the onion over the top.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a whisk.

Add the half and half cream… beat lightly with a whisk.

Add the salt, pepper and cayenne to the cream mixture.

Carefully pour over the ingredients in the pie shell.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow Quiche to rest 10 minutes before serving.