Quiche Lorraine, the French savoury tart with lardons
Traditional quiche Lorraine: shortcrust pastry, eggs, cream, milk and smoked lardons, with no cheese as in the original recipe. A French savoury tart to serve warm or at room temperature.
Are you looking for the recipe for real quiche Lorraine, the original one from the Lorraine region with no cheese?
Then this version is for you. I’ll walk you through it step by step: a French savoury tart made the way it should be, a crisp shortcrust pastry shell holding a soft filling of eggs, cream and milk, scented with nutmeg and enriched only with smoked lardons. No cheese, because tradition asks for exactly that.
The beauty of this recipe is its honest simplicity. There are only a few ingredients, but they are well chosen and balanced: cream and milk together make the filling creamy without weighing it down, while the lardons bring that smoky note that is enough on its own to carry the flavour.
Compared with the many reinvented versions, the classic quiche Lorraine has at least three advantages: it is lighter than it looks, it can be made ahead, and it pleases everyone, from a Sunday lunch to a weeknight dinner.
One detail that makes all the difference is browning the lardons well and draining them before stirring them into the mixture, so they do not release fat and the quiche stays dry. For an even crisper base, blind-bake the shortcrust for ten minutes before pouring in the filling.
It is at its best just warm, once the filling has set, but it is also delicious cold the next day, perhaps with a green salad on the side. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of days and reheats in no time.
Ready? Let’s make the quiche Lorraine.
Base preparations used
To make this recipe
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Oven tray or baking dish
Perfect for baking meatballs and vegetables. Choose a non-stick tray for better results and easy cleaning.
Steps
- Roll out the shortcrust pastry in a tart tin, prick the base with a fork and keep it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Brown the lardons in a hot dry pan, without any fat, until golden, then drain them on kitchen paper to remove the excess fat.
- Beat the eggs with the cream and milk, season with nutmeg, salt and a little pepper, then stir in the lardons. The traditional recipe uses no cheese.
- Pour the mixture over the shortcrust pastry and spread the lardons evenly.
- Bake in a conventional oven at 180°C (350°F) for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden and just wobbly in the centre. Let it cool slightly before serving.
Helpful tips
Real quiche Lorraine has no cheese: it is the eggs, cream and lardons that give it all its flavour.
Drain the lardons well after browning, so the quiche does not turn out greasy.
Prick the base and, if you like, blind-bake the pastry for 10 minutes for a crispier shell.
Lovely warm or at room temperature, and even cold the next day. Serve it with a green salad.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 22.0 g
- Sugars
- 3.0 g
- Protein
- 14.0 g
- Fat
- 31.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 16.0 g
- Fiber
- 1.0 g
- Sodium
- 620 mg
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