Quiche Lorraine

How to make it

1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the cold butter with your fingertips. Keep working until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few visible flecks of butter.
2. Add the ice-cold water and quickly bring the dough together with one hand, until it just barely holds together and no longer crumbles. Do not knead it smooth, as the gluten will make the crust tough instead of tender and sandy.
   Chef's tip Squeeze a handful — if it holds without crumbling, stop, even if the bowl still looks patchy. Extra water and mixing build gluten, and the shell shrinks down the sides as it bakes.
3. Press the dough flat into a thick disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until it is firm and cool all the way through. ⏱ 30 min · passive
   Chef's tip The rest relaxes the gluten strands, so the dough doesn't contract and slide down the sides of the pan as it bakes — and the butter firms up again. It's ready when it's cold and firm but just gives under a press of your finger.
4. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured countertop into a round about 3 mm thick, and line the tart pan with it. Press the dough firmly into the corner all the way around and trim off the excess edge. Then prick the base all over with a fork, so it doesn't bubble up during baking. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Press the dough into the corner without stretching it — stretched dough springs back and the sides slump during baking. Lift and ease it in instead, and let it sit slightly proud of the rim.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
6. Line the pastry shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Blind-bake the shell for 15 minutes, until the edge is light golden and holds its shape on its own. ⏱ 15 min · passive
   Chef's tip Fill the weights all the way up to the rim, not just across the base — it's the sides that slump when left unsupported. Let the parchment paper come up over the edge, so you can lift the whole lot out in one go.
7. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake the shell for 5 more minutes, until it is dry and sandy to the touch. A fully baked shell holds the custard instead of absorbing it. ⏱ 5 min · passive
8. Sauté the smoked pork belly lardons in a dry pan over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. They should be golden at the edges, and the fat should have rendered out clear. Pour off the rendered fat so the filling doesn't become heavy.
9. Whisk the eggs, crème fraîche, and whole milk together in a bowl into a smooth, pale yellow custard with no streaks of egg white. Grate in the nutmeg and season with pepper and only a little salt, as the smoked lardons already salt the custard.
   Chef's tip Whisk just until uniform — beating air in makes the quiche puff up and then collapse into a spongy, slightly bubbly set instead of a smooth custard.
10. Spread the sautéed lardons evenly in the pre-baked shell and carefully pour the custard over, until it sits about half a centimeter below the rim.
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake the quiche in the middle of the oven for 35-45 minutes. It's done when the surface is bronzed and the filling is set at the edge but still jiggles very slightly in the center. ⏱ 35 min–45 min · passive
    Chef's tip Egg custard sets around 80-85°C and curdles above that, weeping water into the shell. Pull it while a coin-sized area at the centre still wobbles — carryover heat finishes it.
12. Remove the quiche and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes, until the filling is fully set and no longer glistens wet on the surface. ⏱ 10 min · passive
13. Cut the rested quiche into four wedges and place one wedge on each flat plate. Serve it warm rather than piping hot — the filling tastes fullest once it has cooled slightly.