Quiche Lorraine
The famous savory Lorraine tart: a crisp crust filled with a creamy mixture of eggs, cream, and smoked bacon. Originally without cheese, golden and quivering when it comes out of the oven.
The famous savory Lorraine tart: a crisp crust filled with a creamy mixture of eggs, cream, and smoked bacon. Originally without cheese, golden and quivering when it comes out of the oven.
Allow me, as a good Lorrainer, to present the dish of which my country is most proud. No fuss: a crust rolled out with a firm hand, good fresh eggs beaten with farm cream, and above all the smoked bacon that gives the dish its soul. We baked it in the Sunday oven, and we were careful not to add cheese, modern tastes notwithstanding! Served warm, golden, it reminds you where you come from — and I have never ceased to turn my gaze toward those eastern provinces.
- •Shortcrust pastry (flour, butter, water, salt) — enough to line a mold (tart base)
- •Smoked bacon — a nice slice, cut into lardons (savory filling)
- •Fresh eggs — three (binder for the custard)
- •Thick farm cream — a large bowl (creaminess)
- •Pepper, nutmeg — a pinch (seasoning)
Quiche Lorraine
The famous savory Lorraine tart: a crisp crust filled with a creamy mixture of eggs, cream, and smoked bacon. Originally without cheese, golden and quivering when it comes out of the oven.
Why this dish? Originally from Lorraine like Ferry, quiche was the Sunday and reception dish in the region of Nancy and the Vosges. For a man attached to his native soil and the memory of Alsace-Lorraine, serving a quiche was a way of affirming his regional identity in the very heart of the Republic.
Allow me, as a good Lorrainer, to present the dish of which my country is most proud. No fuss: a crust rolled out with a firm hand, good fresh eggs beaten with farm cream, and above all the smoked bacon that gives the dish its soul. We baked it in the Sunday oven, and we were careful not to add cheese, modern tastes notwithstanding! Served warm, golden, it reminds you where you come from — and I have never ceased to turn my gaze toward those eastern provinces.
Ingredients (period version)
- Shortcrust pastry (flour, butter, water, salt) — enough to line a mold (tart base)
- Smoked bacon — a nice slice, cut into lardons (savory filling)
- Fresh eggs — three (binder for the custard)
- Thick farm cream — a large bowl (creaminess)
- Pepper, nutmeg — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Shortcrust pastry — 1 roll (or 250 g flour + 125 g butter) (tart base)
- Smoked lardons — 200 g (savory filling)
- Eggs — 3 (binder for the custard)
- Thick crème fraîche — 20 cl (creaminess)
- Milk — 10 cl (lighter custard)
- Pepper, nutmeg, light salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Line a tart mold with the shortcrust pastry and prick it with a fork.
- Brown the lardons in a skillet for a few minutes, then spread them over the pastry base.
- Beat the eggs with the cream and milk, season with pepper and nutmeg (salt very lightly).
- Pour the custard over the lardons.
- Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 35 to 40 minutes, until the quiche is golden and just set in the center. Serve warm.
How it was made : The authentic 19th-century Quiche Lorraine contained neither cheese nor onion: only the migaine (a mixture of eggs and cream) and smoked bacon, on a sometimes leavened crust. It was the dish for large gatherings and family celebrations in Lorraine, baked in the village oven.
The contemporary twist : Serve as individual mini-quiches in tartlet molds, arranged on a slate board with a few arugula leaves.
Jules Ferry · Charactorium
