Last Updated on January 11, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Quiche Lorraine with Caramelized Shallots is a twist on a classic French recipe.
History of Quiche Lorraine
When we think of French food, quiche is probably one of the most common foods that immediately pop into our heads. Well have I got a shocker for you – quiche is actually German! Yes, quiche started in the medieval town of Lothringen, which was under German rule. When the French gained control over the area, they renamed Lothringen to Lorraine. That’s where we get the world famous Quiche Lorraine from.
Although quiche can be made with almost any ingredient, classic Quiche Lorraine is the most traditional, made with bacon and Gruyere cheese. Although Quiche Lorraine is delicious as is, caramelized onions/shallots brings almost any dish to the next level. I pumped up the flavor to Quiche Lorraine a bit by adding caramelized shallots.
Personally, I don’t like quiche with a thick crust. For me, quiche is all about the fillings – not the pastry. The dough I made below I divided into 4 portions. If you want a thicker crust, you can divide the dough into 3 portions instead. By blind baking the pie crust (instructions below) you get a nice thin crispy crust that can stand up to the wet filling! Nothing is worse than a soggy crust!
…ooh and don’t forget to check out my other quiche recipe here with step by step photos in making the blind baked crust!
With this nice thin crust quiche, it’s perfect to cut into bite size pieces to serve at a tea party – or any kind of party really! What’s great about quiche is it’s just as good warm as it is room temperature, so it makes the perfect party food!
You can make a few varieties of quiche, then cut them into small bite size pieces.
Quiche Lorraine with Caramelized Shallots
Ingredients
- Crust Ingredients:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 8 oz. cold butter cut into small pieces
- 4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6-10 oz. cold water
- Filling Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 thinly sliced shallots
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Gruyere
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- To make the crust, combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter and shortening into the flour until they are the size of small peas.
- Add 1/4 cup water and mix. Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal sized portions as desired and wrap individually in plastic wrap. You can freeze other portions to use as needed or refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, let's make the filling.
- In a skillet, add the bacon and fry until cooked well done. Remove from the pan.
- In the bacon grease, add the shallots and fry on low heat until browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll into either a rectangle or circle a few inches larger than the size of the pan, depending on the shape of your quiche/tart pan.
- Transfer rolled out pastry to quiche/tart pan and press into the bottom and up the sides.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top. Add dried beans or pie weights and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Remove the beans/pie weights.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 F.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add parsley and mix until combined.
- Add cheese and mix to combine.
- Add the bacon and caramelized oven to the baked pie shell.
- Add the egg mixture to the pie shell and spread evenly.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes until egg custard is set.
- Cool and slice as desired.
Notes
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My huband’s favourite quich lorraine, he just love with loads of caramelized shallots as well. Even am so tempted to make quiche tonite for our dinner.
then your hubby will be happy tonight 🙂
Interesting origin, Mir. Never knew that quiche has its origins in Germany.
even I only discovered it when doing research for this post
Love reading about the origins of dishes Mir. That is quite interesting to know that quiche is German. I love the clear cut of slices. And the caramelized shallots must add a nice flavour.
yes I also found it interesting that it originated in Germany
Shallots have this strong yet delicious flavor which can make any dish inviting. Lovely and filling quiche.
thanks – yes I prefer the flavor of shallots to regular onions
Quiche looking great, in my to do list before this year ends.
I am sure you will love he quiche!