Serve with a fresh Summer Tomato Salad with Herbs to balance out the dairy-richness of your savoury tart.
There are few foods as divisive as quiche. It stands firmly on the love/hate battlefield with Marmite, tequila and cilantro (coriander). My husband is a staunch quiche supporter and the reason for this strongly flavoured quiche recipe. Stilton and bacon are a flavour force to be reckoned with. The pungent blue cheese and smoky cure of the bacon are formidable partners that pack a powerful punch. Caramelised onion threads offer a sweet contrast to those two big guns in my recipe.
How To Make Quiche
Originally from Germany and known as ‘kuchen’, the simple recipe called for bread dough, bacon, eggs and cream custard only. During a time when European territories were being invaded, the quiche’s region was claimed by the French and renamed Lorraine, along with the famous quiche itself. As it’s known today, it’s an open pie case filled with the same basic egg and custard mixture with the addition of cheese and other savoury ingredients of the baker’s choice. Regardless of your quiche stance, for a table-top triumph there are some elements that everyone can agree on: Although a fairly labour-intensive operation, you can employ a three-pronged manoeuvre. Simply spread it out over a couple of days to avoid any kitchen fatigue: Stage one: make and bake your pastry (or just buy it!). Stage two: cook your filling. Stage three: make the custard, assemble the tart and bake.
Quiche Variations
There are countless quiche recipe deviations and these polarise quiche connoisseurs even further: Is it eaten hot or cold? With fingers or a knife and fork? What is an acceptable filling, i.e. ham, and what is definitely not? Tuna. Is a crustless quiche even a quiche? Choose your camp, people and let the war games begin. Rather than being a lovely French lady, ‘Lorraine’ actually means ‘famous army’. Fitting for such a dividing dish. A quiche can only be Lorraine if it contains Swiss cheese and bacon. But there is no harm in altering the make up of your quiche, for example using Cheddar cheese and ham. You just can’t lay claim to the name. Quiche is an easy way to sneak in a few greens too. My kids have always eaten a cheese and broccoli combo. They like it warm, definitely not cold, and with a side of baked beans! Like I said, polarising stuff! I prefer a more refined goat’s cheese and tomato, served at room temperature, with a side of green salad. And then there’s the crustless quiche debate. Some would argue it’s just a frittata. Others would say it’s a great way to eat a gluten-free quiche, or a guilt-free quiche (minus the carbs). Whose side are you on?
Recipe Tips and Notes
Pastry-making is not just a skill acquired by experienced boulangers. But if you’re not ready to commit, ready-made store-bought shortcrust is your low-prep top secret. Making a quiche from scratch is an investment of time, but you can break it down into stages over a few days to make it less daunting. You can make your pastry, bake the pastry case and cook the bacon and onion all ahead of time. You have to partially bake the pastry case before adding the filling. Pastry chefs call it ‘blind baking’. It ensures the base will hold before filling with the wet mixture. Wet base + wet filling = swampy quiche. There are endless variations when it comes to savoury quiche recipes; classic combos like hame and cheese; seasonal brie and cranberry; wild mushroom. Or get creative with whatever you have in the fridge: minced beef and kimchi, anyone??
Storage and Leftovers
You can enjoy this bacon quiche hot or cold! Cover it and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. I advise against freezing quiche. There are so many elements that can lose their integrity on freezing. If you’re a hot quiche fan, you can reheat it in the oven at 350F/175C for about 15 minutes, but watch the crust! It can catch and burn. There is a solution to this, but it might create another problem. You could cover the quiche with foil, it will prevent any crust-scorching but you run the risk of adding moisture and getting a soggy tart. Favourite Egg Recipes to Try:
Easy French Omelette with Bacon, Potatoes and Zucchini Healthy Mini Frittatas Chorizo Breakfast Hash with Eggs and Feta Turkish Eggs (Cilbir)
