It’s not often that I make the same recipe more than once, thus my motto – so much food, so little time. But I’ve recently made a quiche recipe twice. It’s one I found on Food & Wine, and it’s a Craig Claiborne recipe.
For all of you youngsters out there, Craig Claiborne’s lengthy culinary career began at the New York Times in 1957. I was only one year old, but I learned his name early on because of his involvement in the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, which were my first cookbooks, and for the many cookbooks that he wrote, as well as his association with James Beard and Julia Child.
Being that my mother was French – in fact, from Nancy in Lorraine – she loved that Claiborne essentially brought the quiche Lorraine to America in the 1950’s, as well as sharing his complete love and respect for French food. Below is the cover of the Time Life Classic French cookbook, as well as his memoir, which was a hoot!
This quiche recipe is perfection. It’s cooked at fairly high heat, producing much browning, which originally made me a bit anxious. Because I added lobster, I made some changes in the recipe, but you can find Craig Claiborne’s original Quiche Lorraine printable below.
I purchased a 2-pound bag of frozen lobster meat from D’Artagnan for this recipe. Making a risotto with the rest!
Lobster Quiche Lorraine
Pastry for a one-crust 9-inch pie (see pastry recipe)
12-13 ounces lobster meat, finely chopped
10 ounces grated Fontina
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a nine-inch pie plate with the pastry. By all means build a rim with the pastry and flute it. This is essential for the amount of custard indicated in this recipe. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a round of parchment paper and add enough dried beans or peas to partly fill the shell. Bake 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Remove and discard the beans and parchment paper and set the pastry-lined pie plate aside.
Place the lobster meat in the partially-baked pie crust and top with the grated cheese.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, and white pepper and pour into the crust. Slide the pie onto a baking sheet.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted one inch from the pastry edge comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Test the center before removing to a wire rack.
Let stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving.
Honestly, this is the best quiche I’ve ever had.
Quiche Lorraine
Pastry for a one-crust 9-inch pie (see pastry recipe)
4 strips bacon
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Gruyère
4 ounces grated Parmesan
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a nine-inch pie plate with the pastry. By all means build a rim with the pastry and flute it. This is essential for the amount of custard indicated in this recipe.
Cover the bottom of the pastry with a round of parchment paper and add enough dried beans or peas to partly fill the shell. Bake 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Remove and discard the beans and parchment paper and set the pastry-lined pie plate aside.
Cook the bacon until crisp and remove it from skillet. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat remaining in the skillet. Cook the onion in the remaining fat until the onion is transparent.
Combine the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle the bacon, onion and cheeses over the inside of the partly baked pastry.
Strain the cream mixture over the onion-cheese mixture. Slide the pie onto a baking sheet.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted one inch from the pastry edge comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove to a wire rack. Let stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving.