Saturday is Date Night and Quiche Lorraine is perfect for a light and romantic meal!
From start to finish quiche takes about an hour for the prep and baking time but this at home is not difficult!
The process means buying a store-bought pie crust (we used Marie Callender’s – pre-cook it to avoid a soggy bottom – cooked some bacon or diced some cooked ham, sautéed some sliced onions, buy grated gruyere cheese (or grate it), and add some egg custard mix (egg, cream, nutmeg, salt & pepper, + cayenne).
THAT’S IT!
It is easy enough, considering eating out at a fancy restaurant serving Quiche Lorraine with a salad and wine for two can easily set you back well over $100 for the meal and tip.
Another money-saving trick is serving a glass of quality white wine in a carafe at the table, with the boxed wine kept out of site in the fridge. Boxed wines are not romantic but a carafe can be and costs only about $1.25 a glass vs the $18 bottle. (It is the same wine which tastes and drinks the same.) PS: We also recommend you keep a rack of quality wine at home, when opening and enjoying wine poured from a bottle is appropriate.
Date Night: A candle-lit fancy Quiche Lorraine meal, wine, and Netflix, etc. after…! Keep life romantic!
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JACK’S QUICHE LORRAINE –
Quiche makes for a perfect special meal.
We can tell you, right out of the oven, this quiche is a creamy, indescribably delicious delight!
This quiche should be made often!
Jack’s Quiche Lorraine:
(Note – I always seem to have too much custard for one pie using this recipe, so I have more ham or bacon, diced Gruyère cheese & only use half of the sautéed onions, then I make two quiches at the same time. Or just cook the left over custard in a ramekin.)
INGREDIENTS
1 9” pie crust (see baking instructions below*)
1/4 – 1/2 cup of cooked bacon (or cooked ham, diced)
1 large onion, halved & sliced into rings
3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan (optional)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°
Pie Crust – store bought, in a tin pan…
• Line the pie crust with a round of parchment paper
• pour pie weights on top of the paper to keep the crust flat
• pre-bake the crust for 13 minutes, remove from oven
• carefully remove the paper and the weights (hot!)
• brush the crust with egg white and put it back into the oven
• cook for an additional 5 minutes until browned, remove.
Reduce oven heat to 375°
Measure the spices (nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper) and set aside.
Sauté the sliced onions, seasoned, in a slash of olive oil until transparent.
in a large mixing bowl…
Mix 4 eggs well until blended.
Add spices to the cream, then blend in the eggs (mix well).
To assemble:
Put a layer of bacon (or diced ham) pieces on the bottom of the pastry shell.
Put a layer of sautéed onions on top of bacon or ham.
Put a layer of cheese over the onions.
Pour the cream, spices, and egg mixture over the cheese/onion/ham mixture to the top of the crust, making certain the eggy custard gets down between all layers.
Bake 30 minutes at 375° for 30 minutes,
Raise the temperature to 450° and cook an additional 5 minutes to brown the top of the custard.
