Light Bites
French
FrenchQuiche Lorraine
The classic bacon and egg tart, three ways. The basic uses ready-made pastry and milk, while the ultimate is an all-butter homemade shell with smoked lardons, Gruyere and a silky cream custard.
Nut-free
Ultimate version
All-butter homemade pastry, smoked lardons, Gruyere and a pure cream custard.
Per serving£2.30
Total cost£13.80
Time1 hr 40 min
Ingredients for 6
- All-butter pastry
- 200 g plain flour
- 110 g cold unsalted butter , cubed
- 1 egg yolk , for the pastry
- 2 tbsp iced water
- Filling
- 200 g dry-cured smoked lardons
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 eggs
- 300 ml double cream
- 120 g Gruyere , grated
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- flaky sea salt and white pepper , to taste
Method
- Rub the butter into the flour, bind with the yolk and iced water, then chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Roll out, line a deep 23cm tin leaving an overhang, and chill again for 20 minutes.
- Blind bake at 190C for 18 minutes, remove beans, brush with a little egg and bake 8 minutes more until biscuity.
- Render the lardons slowly until crisp; drain well.
- Whisk the yolks, eggs, cream, nutmeg and seasoning into a smooth custard.
- Layer lardons and Gruyere into the case, pour in the custard to just below the rim.
- Bake at 160C for 30 to 35 minutes until barely set, then rest 20 minutes and trim the pastry edge before slicing.
Equipment
- deep 23cm tart tin
- baking beans
- heavy frying pan
- whisk
- rolling pin
The three ways, side by side
Budget
Shop-bought pastry case, value bacon and a milk-based custard.
Better
Blind-baked block pastry with proper lardons, cream and a little nutmeg.
Ultimate
All-butter homemade pastry, smoked lardons, Gruyere and a pure cream custard.
