Let me show you How to Make Quiche Lorraine, the Queen of all quiches. A delicious egg custard seasoned with nutmeg gets poured over shallots sautéed with bacon and herbs in a tender, flaky pastry crust. Baked until just set and served warm for the perfect brunch, lunch or Mother's Day surprise.
In a food processor add the salt, sugar, and flour and pulse until combined. Add butter and lard and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running, drizzle in ice water and pulse until dough is still slightly crumbly but holds together when pressed (30 seconds).
On a work surface form dough into a 6 inch disc with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Place rack in lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F.
Unwrap dough and roll dough out on a floured work surface into a 14 inch round. Gently fold pastry into fourths and place in quiche/pie plate. Unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and up sides. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of quiche/pie plate. Fold overhang under, pinching and forming a fluted edge. Chill uncovered for 30 minutes.
Line dough with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust for 30 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake until crust is set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and let cool.
Filling
In a small sauté pan over medium high heat render the bacon for a few minutes and add the shallots, thyme, and bay leaf. Turn heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until bacon and shallots are soft. Let mixture cool, discard bay leaf and drain excess fat (save for other use) and set aside.
Move rack to middle of oven and preheat to 325°F.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined.
Place quiche/pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle half of cheese evenly on bottom of baked crust. Top with the cooled bacon shallot mixture and pour custard mixture evenly over all. Top with remaining cheese. (See Note 1) Carefully slide into oven and bake until custard edges are set but center slightly jiggles, 40 minutes. The custard will continue to set after baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for an hour before slicing. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
To avoid spilling, pull oven rack out, place quiche pan/tray on rack and sprinkle half of cheese evenly on bottom of baked crust. Top with the cooled bacon shallot mixture and pour custard mixture evenly over all. Top with remaining cheese and then follow remaining instructions.
Total Prep time for the crust is 100 minutes and Baking time is 45 minutes.Total Prep time for the filling is 20 minutes and Baking time is 40 minutes.I recommend this cool and firm up for at least an hour before slicing.