Covet

Quiche was the first food I ever really coveted. In my last two years of primary (grade) school, I went to this nearby boulangerie chain almost every day to get myself a hand-sized tuna, chicken or curry chicken puff pie for lunch. Not because I particularly loved these pastries but because they were the cheapest lunch-able items on the menu.

I’d watch enviously as my friend S would fold back the wax paper from her Quiche Lorraine and allow the rich savoury fumes to waft in my direction. I wanted one badly but my 11-year-old pocketbook couldn’t justify the extravagance of a $5 lunch. Besides, I had to save some cash for a chaser of the pre-teen favourite, the Slurpee, for dessert.

So I waited silently, vowing that I’d one day save up and buy the quiche. But I didn’t. At least, not until I was well into my teens and price differentials of $2 or so weren’t an issue anymore. The chain’s quiche was ok. Rather anticlimactic after the slow build up.

No matter. By then I had also been exposed to better quiches, in France and at fancy restaurants. They were wonderful. Mass produced quiche became something safe one ate at the airport, you know, like bad pizza. There’s a limit to how disgusting it can be.



Still, I always thought it was something complex and difficult to make, requiring skill and finesse I didn’t have. It’s not. It’s really simple and in the last few years it has become one of my favourite recipes. So easy yet so impressive. Here’s how I make it. I hope you’ll like it too.

Quiche Lorraine
Adapted from the quiche recipes in Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier

For the pastry:
1 1/3 cups flour
125g butter
1 egg
Pinch salt

For the filling:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt, creme fraiche, single or double cream (almost any creamy substance would work here, even non-dairy ones like mayonnaise)
4 eggs
125g cheese (gruyere is good)
200g cubed ham or sautéed bacon

To make the pastry:
Combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and mix again for a few seconds, until the dough comes together into a ball.

To make the filling:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, and eggs.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Press the dough into either a 10-inch/25cm ceramic tart pan or divide it amongst mini tartlet tins. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove the pan from the oven (leave the heat on). Sprinkle the ham/bacon and cheese over the tart shell. Pour in the milk mixture and bake for 35 minutes (for a big whole quiche) or 15 minutes for mini ones.