I bake - Quiche Lorraine

I have made four quiches in the space of two weeks, all because I wanted to try a few pie crust recipes. I have been looking for pie crust recipes without butter. I admit that all-butter pie crust is hard to beat and I still make some as occasional treats. However, I have been looking for "healthier" alternatives, namely vegetable oil based pie crust. My friend has shared her favorite pie crust recipe with me which involves egg, yogurt, oil and flour. Pretty simple, but I was wondering whether there is an even simpler version.

That's how I have ended up with this recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. No egg, just water, oil and flour. And must I say, the final baked crust is tasty and perfectly crispy on the ridges. I like it enough to incorporate this recipe as one of my regulars. One thing I may try next time is to blind baking my crust longer to crisp up the bottom crust better. Other than that, I am quite happy with this Oil based crust.

Quiche Lorraine is one of the classics (according to Hubby, it's THE quiche). This is my version which we both enjoy.

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche crust (adapted from this recipe)
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 cup of plain yogurt

Quiche filling
- 200 g of lardon/bacon, roughly chopped
- 3-4 medium-sized onions, skinned and sliced
- 2 tbsps of olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup of single cream
- 1/2 cup of grated cheese (Gruyère, Cheddar or Emmental)

Lightly oil the inside of a 25-cm round pie dish (mine is 5-cm deep).

First, make the quiche crust. Mix all crust ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to mix and knead a few times to form a ball. Wrap the dough in a cling form and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. After resting, take it out of the fridge and roll it out in a circle large enough to cover your pie dish. Prick holes with a fork at the flat surface of the covered pie dish. Blind bake the crust for 30 minutes at 200C. Let the crust cool completely before pouring the filling.

Heat a frying pan on the stove and fry the bacon/lardon bits. There is no need to put any oil at this stage as some fat will come out from the bacon bits. Fry the bacon bits until their outer edges become lightly golden brown. Drain the excess oil if needed. Scoop the bacon bits out of the pan.

In the same pan, put in onion slices and olive oil. On the medium heat, fry the onions until their volume has reduced by half. You don't want dark caramelised onions but fully cooked through, just lightly brown in the end. It will take roughly 30 minutes. Be patient. When the onions are cooked, cool them completely before adding to the crust.

In another bowl, mix eggs and cream. Add in 1/4 cup of the required cheese. This is your quiche binding agent.

When everything has cooled to room temperature, fill the quiche crust with all cooked onions and bacon bits. I like to decorate my final quiche with a few bacon bits on top so I don't use all bacon at this stage. It's your choice. Pour in the egg and cream mixture. Finally, scatter the remaining cheese (and bacon bits) on top of the quiche. Bake the quiche at 200C for 40 minutes.

Like stews, quiches taste better the next day, if you have the will power to wait.

Enjoy.