France II: Quiche Lorraine

My dear friend Pascale remembers first learning this recipe from her father in the 1960’s when she was six years old. Her mother prepared all of the meals during the week, but on weekends, her father enjoyed exploring his passion for food in his downtime, and the only one allowed in the kitchen with him was petite Pascale.

Preparing this meal together with her has unlocked a series of both challenging and wonderful memories she had growing up in La Butte Bergeyre, a small isolated neighborhood on a hill above the Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Her father was deeply inspired by famed chef Raymond Oliver, also from Bordeaux, who at the time owned Le Grand Vefor in Paris’ Palais-Royal district, serving celebrity clientele ranging from Winston Churchill to the Aga Khan to the Princess of Monaco. Pascale’s father poured over Oliver’s cookbooks and time and time again prepared his decadent recipes such as this quiche Lorraine- which Pascale cooks to this day and taught me to make.

F49A5B75-9B99-4899-B278-A03E7862AF4B.jpeg

INGREDIENTS & METHOD

  • For the pastry: Pascale makes a very simple recipe by ‘feel’ with flour, salt and butter. I recommend a pastry recipe I found on bon appetit. You can make the dough/pastry in advance and keep in the fridge for a day or two before rolling out into a greased casserole dish.

  • 1/2 cup of bacon, cooked and chopped small, spread across the pastry for the first layer.

  • 1 - 11/2 cups of chopped ham, layered on top of the bacon. (This is a good way to use up leftover Sunday ham!)

  • In a bowl mix together: 4 egg yolks, 1 cup of milk, 2 cups of creme freche, nutmeg & salt and pepper to taste (keep the whites for an omelette tomorrow), pour over the ham.

  • Top with about a cup or more of thinly sliced or grated Swiss Gruyere and/or emanthal cheese.

  • Preheat oven to 475f and bake for 15 minutes, then lower to 350f and bake another 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown on top.

SERVE WITH & WINE UNDER $20

Delicious served with a delicate salad of micro-greens with a very light vinaigrette.

If having for late brunch or dinner, pair with a lightly chilled white wine from southern France. You can find plenty of good quality Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire valley. In France there are oodles of them, but in Canada I go for cheap and cheerful Fumee Blanche.

Lara Hill