One of the steps in making Quiche Lorraine that I don’t like is having to pre-bake the pastry shell. You have to fill the pastry shell with dried beans or weights of some kind in your parchment lined dish. The pastry is baked until lightly cooked. My problem with this is that even with carefully following these instructions, the pie shell still shrinks and the edges no longer hug the top of the pie dish. I experimented with this quiche and am happy with the results.
The reason for pre-baking is to prevent the bottom crust from becoming soggy. With this quiche I preheated the oven to 425 degrees F. and turned my oven to the convection setting. If you don’t have a convection oven, the higher heat should be enough to help the crust along. After 15 minutes of baking I turned off the convection and lowered the temperature to 350 degrees F. to finish cooking. The bottom crust was not crispy, but it was not soggy either. That was enough for me to avoid the extra step of pre-baking.
When preparing my deep dish pie, I found myself reaching for an abundance of ingredients to match its generous proportions. Sautéed leeks, plenty of bacon, Gruyère cheese, and a touch of extra liquid made for a hearty filling. Remember, you can easily adjust your ingredient quantities to fit the size of your dish. For your weighing solution needs, view now. Enjoy your culinary adventure!
On another note, I want to apologize for not being here on my blog more often. I certainly do not want to give up this space that has meant so much to me over the last 10 years. But other responsibilities and time constraints make it hard for me to focus as often on my favorite outlet. Bear with me and I will try to be here is often as possible.
Quiche Lorraine
- Ina’s pie crust ( I halved this and left out the sugar) or a pre-made pie crust
- 8 slices of bacon, diced
- 2 large leeks, washed and sliced
- 4 large eggs or 3 Jumbo eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 4 oz Gruyère, shredded
Refrigerate the prepared pie crust before filling.
- In a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the leeks and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg; whisk until evenly combined.
- Spread the leeks evenly over the bottom of the crust. Top with the bacon, and the Gruyère. Pour the egg/cream mixture over top.
- Slide the quiche into the oven and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until the top is slightly browned and the center is set.
What a great idea! My new oven has convection so I will try this soon. We couldn’t have gas here so my new stove top is induction and I love it!
I’ve never cooked with induction Penny. But I love my convection oven. Your new kitchen is beautiful.
You have been missed! I understand the constraints of life. Just happy to visit when you post! I enjoy all your great recipes.
Thank you Lynne. All of you keep me wanting to engage.
Good to see you blogging again. I’ve missed your posts! Had a hard time finding gas in Cary today, but finally succeeded so I can head back to VA.
Ann Westmeyer is here in Lake Lure with some friends. Plan to have lunch with her tomorrow. They are heading to Little Switzerland then. Hope they can find gas. Glad you found some.
Wow. Hope Anne doesn’t get stranded. At least, she is in a lovely place! Tell her hello.
Always enjoy your recipes and adventures! I hope this is OK to ask you, but we have been looking for a place to stay in New Smyrna. Do you have any suggestions of sites other then Air B & B to look for a place. We are looking for a condo as we are still working and will have to go back and forth.
Thanks.
Hi Sharon, We have a friend who has a condo in Waterways West on the North Causeway. Check with Waterways West to see if they have any rentals. Thanks for visiting.
A quiche with leeks, an over abundance of bacon and Gruyére cheese, now that sounds delicious. So many of my blogging friends over the past 10 years have stopped posting and I was afraid you might be thinking the same. Glad you are going to continue. 😊
Thanks Karen. I just wish I had more time to devote to it. I always love to visit you.
Thank You Penny for this recipe I too hate prebaking the crust. I just happened to have leeks from making potato leek soup and they were the perfect addition! Absolutely delish!
Thank you Charise.
I had to stop by to see how the two of you are doing. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you both a healthy and happy New Year.
Thank you Karen. All is well. Hope it is as well with you. Still follow your blog and adventures. Just slowing down and enjoying simpler things right now. I still post on Instagram (old blog posts mostly). It means a lot to me that you keep in touch. We bloggers have a unique relationship. Love to you!