QUICHE LORRAINE

SIMPLICITY is the key to this classic quiche. The pastry case is baked blind – essential when a soft filling is to be poured into it if you want to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.

Serves 6

Kit you’ll nee

23cm (9in) round, 2.5cm (1in) deep, loose-bottomed fluted flan tin

Baking sheet; baking paper

For the rich shortcrust pastry

175g (6oz) plain flour p 95g (3¼oz) chilled butter, diced 1 medium egg yolk

For the filling

200g (7oz) unsmoked lardons 1 shallot, finely chopped 50g (1¾oz) Gruyère cheese

3 medium eggs 200ml ( 1⁄ pt) crème fraîche

3

150ml (¼ pt) single cream

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Put the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub in until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and about 1 tbsp of cold water, adding another 1-2 tsp of water if needed to bring it all together, and stir with a round-bladed knife to form a dough. Tip on to the work surface and gently form it into a smooth ball. Shape the dough into a thick disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15–20 minutes until firm but not hard.

2 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line the 23cm (9in) tart tin, easing the pastry into the corners. Trim the edges (wrap and keep the excess for patching later). Press the pastry into the flutes of the tin so it is slightly raised above the rim of the tin, keeping the top edges neat. Prick the pastry base lightly with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, trim off any excess fat from the lardons and chop any larger ones into small pieces. Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the lardons for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the finely chopped shallot and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until both are tinged golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4 Cut 30g (1oz) of the cheese into small cubes and coarsely grate the remaining 20g (¾oz). Beat the eggs well in a bowl, then stir in the creme fraiche and single cream, and season with pepper (you shouldn’t need any salt as the lardons and cheese are already salty). Pour this into a jug.

5 Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/ gas 6. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Line the pastry case with baking paper then fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Place the pastry-lined tin on the hot baking sheet. Blind-bake the pastry for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans. If necessary, patch up any pastry cracks that have appeared or the filling may leak through them later. Bake for a further 5 minutes, or until the base looks cooked. Remove and lower the oven temperature to 190c/170c fan/375f/gas 5.

6 Scatter the lardons, shallot and cubes of cheese over the bottom of the baked pastry case. Pour in the filling as high as you can, then sprinkle over the grated cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is softly set. Don’t let it get too brown on top or the filling will overcook. Remove and leave the quiche to settle for 5-10 minutes before you remove it from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.