Tamasin Day-Lewis

Quiche Lorraine

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Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • makes 20 cm 8 inch tart serves

    8

Appears in

Smart Tart

Smart Tart

By Tamasin Day-Lewis

Published 2013

This has to be the most maligned and bastardised of tarts, in the sense that so often people present a ‘quiche’ that bears no resemblance to the peerless classic, and clearly have no idea what the classic involves.

The Quiche Lorraine is a top tart. When cooked by a top tart maker who understands it. Yes, it is simple, there are three key ingredients: cream, eggs and smoked bacon, so if they are not of the very best quality, your tart will not be, however good you might be at making tarts.

Streaky bacon is a must, you need the fat – I pour mine into the custard for flavour when I have frazzled it in the pan and snipped off the rind.

Ingredients

  • 16 rashers best, smoked streaky bacon: 8 for the filling, 8 for on top
  • 300 ml. (double) cream, untreated Guernsey or Jersey if you can find it
  • 150 ml. single cream
  • 2 eggs + 2 yolks
  • sea salt and white pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Make the shortcrust pastry in the usual way and bake blind and dry out.

Meanwhile, make the custard: fry the first 8 rashers in a pan with no other fat or oil, and turn them regularly until they are well crisped and browned.

Remove the rashers from the pan, snip off the rind, and break the rashers into pieces.

Whisk the creams and eggs thoroughly with sea salt to taste and a good grind of white pepper. Pour the bacon fat into the bowl of cream and mix in.

Remove the tart case from the oven, lay the pieces of bacon on the base of the quiche and pour over the custard.

Bake until gloriously golden and risen and just set. Cool for 15 minutes on a rack. Meanwhile, fry the rest of the rashers and when you have turned the quiche out ready to eat, lay the strips of bacon over the top. A perfect and generous final touch.

© 2013 All rights reserved. Published by Unbound.