So now that uni is over, I’ve finally got the chance to sink my teeth into a bit more baking! As it’s currently that weird time where it’s too cold for a bbq and too hot for a roast or bangers and mash, I thought I’d give making a quiche a go.
Now back in school I remember making these all the time. My teacher would ask us to experiment with flavours and not stick to a boring cheese quiche, however I think there’s something pretty spectacular about the humble quiche Lorraine.
First things first, I had to google why a quiche Lorraine is called a quiche Lorraine. Because honestly that’s baffled me for years. Now I thought it might be named after it’s inventor and have an amazing backstory. ‘Lorraine was born in Yorkshire and she loved pastry’ or something along those lines but quite frankly the real explanation is rather dull.
The quiche Lorraine is named after the ‘Lorraine’ region of France, where they put a pastry case with bacon, eggs and cream’
You see, very boring. I personally might stick to the fact a woman somewhere in the north of England made it by accident when she had too much pastry one day. It sounds far more fun. Did you have any ideas about where the Lorraine name came from before reading this? I want to know if there are anymore crazy ideas!!
Back to my delightful quiche Lorraine for now though. In homage to my great home economics teacher at school, I did use pancetta instead of bacon. I did this purely for convenience though as the packet came pre diced and it meant I have cubes of bacon in the quiche as opposed to thin slices.
For the pastry I used the genius shortcrust pastry which I know I use a lot but it really is the best one on the market in my opinion and I still can’t make my own!! You’ll need to blind bake your pastry so make sure you have baking beans or some rice on hand!
The cheese, is pretty basic for this. A block of Arla lactose free cheddar, because it’s one of the few cheeses I tolerate! If you’re feeling more adventurous though, try a feta, a mozzarella or even a brie. Of course, switch up the other ingredients too, feta and bacon doesn’t sound like a great combo. Sundried tomato and mozzarella however sounds like perfection. If it’s near enough to Christmas bacon and brie might be nice or if you’re feeling Italian, maybe spinach and ricotta. Spice it up, do what you like, just make sure you don’t over do it!
Both the milk and the cream I used were also lactose free. I’ve not played around with milk alternatives too much so I’m not entirely sure how they would bake, but maybe have a play if you’re dairy free and let me know if you have any success!
Now my top tip for quiche making, is layering. I know that sounds odd, but regardless of your toppings layer them instead of just throwing them in. By doing this you’ll have an even dispersion of ingredients and not just a blob of bacon at the bottom! I always start with the bacon, then cheese, then bacon, then cheese and so on!
It’s a relatively simple recipe, so I hope you all manage to have a go! Remember to let me know you’re first thoughts on the quiche Lorraine name! I look forwards to hearing them!! As always the recipe card is just below!
Happy baking,
@myibsandme x
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