LEEK AND BACON QUICHE

A twist on a traditional French recipe

Surely at some point you have tried quiche Lorraine. Originally from the Lorraine region of northwestern France, this salty tart has conquered palates all over the world. It is also an incredibly versatile recipe, because you can modify its components and the result will still be delicious.

It is prepared by mixing eggs and cream together with different ingredients. Once well mixed, the result is arranged on a base of shortcrust pastry and baked. The most popular quiche is prepared with bacon and cheese.

When you want to make a quiche, let your imagination run wild. If you want to give it a Mediterranean touch, add cherry tomatoes, red onion and bell pepper. If you want to travel to Greece, don’t forget the black olives and feta cheese. Or if you want to make it more veggie-friendly, Swiss chard and spinach is great. Add raisins and pine nuts for an irresistible creation.

We wanted to reinterpret the traditional recipe so that the result is even richer. For the base of this quiche, we have added aromatic herbs to the dough, and to the mixture, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. This touch will enhance all of the flavors of this French recipe.

Ingredients for 4 servings

For the shortcrust

• 250 g pastry flour
• 125 g cold butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

For the filling

• 1 leek
• 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 eggs
• 150 ml liquid cream
• 100 g grated cheese
• 4–5 slices of bacon
• Salt
• Black pepper

Step-by-step preparation

For the shortcrust

1. With the help of a food processor, mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and incorporate little by little.
2. Add the egg, cold water and herbs and continue mixing/kneading until the dough is even and does not stick to the bowl (it can also be made by hand).
3. Cover the dough with film and store in the fridge for a minimum of two hours.
4. Afterwards, flour the work table and roll out the dough into a thin sheet using a rolling pin.
5. Cover the base and sides of a 24 cm quiche mold and remove the excess dough.
6. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper over the dough and, on top of it, some old dry beans or something similar. Blind bake in the oven, preheated to 180 ºC with top and bottom heat, for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the beans and the foil and return to the oven to cook for five more minutes.
8. After this time, remove from the oven and reserve until it is time to fill and bake again.

For filling and finishing

1. Wash the leek thoroughly and cut in half, lengthwise. Reserve the strips in the center to decorate the surface and cut the rest into thin strips, crosswise.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the leek and cook over low heat until tender. Let it temper.
3. Beat the eggs with the liquid cream and add the grated cheese and the cooled poached or tempered leek. Season with caution, because the cheese adds a lot of flavor and saltiness.
4. Coat the base of the quiche with the mustard and pour the egg and cream mixture inside.
5. Place the reserved leek strips on the surface, as well as the bacon slices.
6. Put in the oven (preheated to 180 ºC) and cook for 20 minutes.

Tips

• For the base you can use the herbs you have on hand or whichever you most prefer.
• If you have filling left over, prepare some savory custards with it.
• If there is any dough left over, you can make some crackers.