Chef John's Quiche Lorraine

In my opinion, a proper quiche should be rich, custardy, and luxurious--not some kind of dense, baked omelet. This has only enough eggs and yolks to hold things together, but that means you need to let it cool to just warm before serving, to fully enjoy the experience.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 413 Calories

Ingredients

• ¾ cup milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (see footnote for recipe link)
• ½ cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step 2

Roll pie dough to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate and chill for at least 20 minutes before baking. Line the chilled pie crust with foil and fill halfway up with dried beans, rice, or baking weights. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Reduce oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 4

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan to drain. Blot out some of the oil from the skillet, leaving 1 to 2 teaspoons. Add leeks, onion, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until tender and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.

Step 5

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, cream, and milk together in a large bowl. Add thyme and stir to combine.

Step 6

Sprinkle 2/3 of onion-leek mixture on the bottom of the baked crust. Top with 1/3 cooked bacon and 2/3 Gruyere cheese. Ladle in egg mixture carefully. Sprinkle with remaining onion-leek mixture, remaining bacon, and remaining Gruyere cheese.

Step 7

Bake filled quiche in the preheated oven until browned and set, and no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.