Quiche Lorraine
- 5-6 strips of bacon, cooked almost crisp, drained & crumbled (or Canadian bacon or smoked sausage)
- 1 cup chopped and sautéed leeks, scallions, or onion
- 1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese, about 4 ounces, shredded
- 1 cup milk (skim, low fat, or plain soy milk will work) or part cream if you like
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp tarragon, crumbled
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsps shredded or ground Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsps Panko or bread crumbs
- 1/4 lb butter (one stick), melted
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
- salt to taste (unless butter is salted)
Ingredients 1-11 are for the filling. Ingredients 12-15 are for the crust.
Mix flour, salt, and butter with a wooden spoon until it is crumbly. Then add the milk to make a ball. Roll the dough between two pieces of wax paper. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust. Prick the crust in several places with a fork and bake in a preheated 450ºF over for 7 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
Sprinkle the crust with the bacon. Add the sautéed onion or scallions. Add the shredded cheese. In a small bowl, beat together the milk, cream if using and egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture carefully over the cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and then bread crumbs.
Bake the quiche for 30-45 minutes or until the custard has set (a knife inserted in the center of the quiche should come out clean). The top and crust will be golden.
Variations: One of my favorites is to use lightly cooked zucchini, thyme, and marjoram.
