Quiche Lorraine

Almost as soon as I had a kitchen of my own, I began knocking out quiches at the drop of the hat. There are almost endless ways to customize the recipe, too, so if you do put this into repeat rotation, no one will mind.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

To par bake your crust, line a pie plate with the crust and prick a few times with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of the crust, then fill with pie weights, dried beans, or coffee beans. Bake for 12 minutes, until edges are just beginning to cook through.

Remove from the oven, take away the parchment paper and pie weights, and return to the oven for a few minutes more. The crust should looked cooked, but should not be brown. Brush with the lightly beaten egg white (this will seal up any of the fork holes, so your filling won’t run), and set aside. If not cooking your quiche right away, turn off the oven.

Crumble half of the bacon into small pieces, and spread out in the bottom of the pie crust. Cover with half of the cheese, the rest of the bacon, and the remaining cheese. At this point, you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight, or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF, if it’s not already on.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg until light. Add the half-and-half and melted butter, whisking again until well combined. Pour custard into the prepared pie pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, and center moves slightly, but is generally set.

Cool for 30 minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature.