What makes my Lorraine such a sexy dish? Well, let’s just say she’s down for a little experimentation.

So, I have a confession to make. I’m not great at following a recipe. Damn near every time I make something it will be a bit different, as I make adjustments based on what I have on hand.

Over the years, my “tried & true” dishes are the ones that allow for a good degree of variance & still please the masses. This Quiche Lorraine is a perfect example.

For one thing, onions or shallots can be used in place of the chives. Use about 1/2 cup, finely chopped, and sauté in either the rendered bacon fat or butter. Then spread them over the bottom of the quiche crust just before you layer on the bacon & cheese.

I have adjusted the amount of liquid (milk/cream what-have-you) from my mother’s recipe in order to reduce the cooking time. Honestly, it’s also because I have also been known to use a little extra cheese if I have plenty of milk but don’t have enough half & half on hand for both quiche today and coffee tomorrow! (Priorities, ya know?) By the same token, substituting either light or heavy cream for the half & half will only make this quiche more yummy.

I imagine if you were a vegetarian, you could skip the bacon all together and possibly even add mushrooms or broccoli instead. If you go the veggie route, make sure you remove as much moisture from them as possible, so they don’t make the egg mix too watery.

See what I mean? Lots of ways to tweak this! OK – Here’s my basic recipe:

• 1 Pilsbury pie crust.
• 1/2 pound of bacon (you can use more or less to your taste)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper to taste (maybe 1/2 teaspoon?)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated cheese (I usually have reduced fat mexican blend on hand, so that’s what goes in)
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped chives (I usually use dried so I don’t have to chop them)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

2. Meanwhile, start cooking the bacon in a large frying pan on medium heat.
My lazy tip? I usually buy bacon in bulk packages or when it’s on sale, so I always have it on hand in the freezer. I find if I cut it down to 1 1/2″ strips when frozen, I can fit all the bacon in the pan for one batch. I use a fork or tongs to break it up and cook until nicely brown (most of the fat is rendered out).
Drain the bacon on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat.
If you aren’t going to cook any onions or shallots in the rendered fat, pour it out of the pan into a jar for future use, or wait until it solidifies and discard in the trash.
If you didn’t cut it up before, chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces.

3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the nutmeg, salt, black pepper and chives and whisk a little more. Add the milk and half & half (or cream) and whisk together vigorously.  This is great for getting out some frustrations, and it also introduces a little air into the mix which helps make the quiche light and fluffy.

4. If you went with onion or shallots, spread them on your crust now.

5. Arrange first the bacon, then the cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.

6. Whisk the egg mixture again for a few seconds, then pour it gently into the pie crust.
Use a fork or spoon to gently still the bacon and cheese around a bit, so they are floating suspended in the egg mix. If you use chives they will float, so move them around with a spoon until you like where they are – Or don’t. All depends on your control-freak level, really.

7.  Carefully put the quiche into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.
You  can check for doneness after 30 minutes by inserting a knife all the way down into the center of the pie. If the knife comes out clean, the quiche is done. Alternately, you can gently jiggle the quiche – it should still have just a little wiggle.
Either way, it will finish setting while it cools on a wire rack.

Eat warm, at room temperature, or cold – Your call!!
Note: a quiche will keep for several days in the fridge & can be reheated gently in a 200-degree oven.

Serves 6.

Any questions? Leave them below and I’ll get back to you ASAP. 
Let me know how it turns out!