Quiche Lorraine is considered a classic breakfast and brunch item. Its named after the northeastern French province of Lorraine. It was mostly popular during the mid-1960s. The classic filling ingredients are eggs, and cheese with added meats and vegetables. Some versions add sliced sauteed onion, (that’s what I’ve tried many times). One of the few recipes that I have been making from past 15 years or so, long before joining a culinary school. I saw this recipe on BBC Food channel I used to watch religiously in Pakistan. I immediately wanted to try, to my information later that I found out it's a classic recipe and been around for a while. Later here in the USA, once vacationing in Santa Barbara, I tasted the one with sautéed onions at a local bakery (couldn’t remember the name) and I thought to myself I have to give it a try… I’ve been making it with onions ever since ☺ We also made it in our Fundamentals class at the culinary school; I learned the proper technique of preparing it, but I still follow the same recipe I’ve been making.
Like some of my previous posts, this recipe is also from the cooking class I conducted for young girls at a local non-profit. This particular recipe I altered to make it easier for the girls to follow. Instead of making dough from scratch, I opted for store bought pie dough given the difficulty level.
I’m uploading this recipe with the pie dough recipe I’ve been using for a while now. It's MY-GO-TO recipe. I find if onions are cooked low and slow, I would say at least 20 minutes on low heat, they become very sweet. LOVE it!
I've made quiche I don’t even remember how many times. It’s my family’s favorite. I’ve made it at tea parties at my house with ingredients I have on hand. I have tried several deep-dish quiche recipes as well, but I go back to this particular one. You can add diced chicken, sautéed vegetables or entirely keep it vegetarian. Keep in mind when choosing the fillings, it has to complement the delicate egg custard without overpowering, e.g. broccoli or cauliflower, they tend to overpower the delicate flavor of the quiche.
Classic Quiche Lorraine with Chicken and Onions
Yield: 1 Quiche 8” Pie Pan
Prep time: 30 min
Total baking time: 40 hour
Method: Baking
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp. ice water
For the filling:
1 cup boiled chicken shredded
1 cup onions sliced
3/4-cup heavy cream, at room temperature
3/4-cup milk, at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
To make the pastry, in a large bowl, add flour and salt. Add the butter and, pulse until combined. Mix the ingredients together quickly until crumbly and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then, while motor running, add the ice water a little at a time just until the dough begins to hold together. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 400ºF.
On a lightly floured work surface, using your hands, flatten the ball of dough into a disk. Dust it with flour and roll out into an 11-inch round. Fit carefully into an 8-inch tart pan, or a 9-inch glass pie dish. I used 4-inch individual tart pans. If using a tart pan, trim the dough even with the pan rim. If using a pie dish, trim the dough to allow a 1-inch overhang, then fold under and flute the edges. Prick the dough in several places with fork tines and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
To make the filling, in a saute pan over medium-high heat, saute sliced onions with butter until transparent, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer on a paper towel to drain. Scatter the sautéed onions and shredded boiled chicken over the bottom of the pastry shell. In a bowl, combine the cream, milk and eggs. Using a whisk beat until well blended. Stir in the half the cheese and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour into the prepared pastry shell and sprinkle the top with remaining cheese. Bake until the custard is set and the tip of a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.