Birthday Tea item no. 3 : Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine, prior to having its crust trimmed.

As I had already got a fish-based tart (innuendo alert!) in mind, I was thinking along the bacon lines for my second tart before the word "Lorraine" (we're back to the tart again) came into my mind.

Now I'd made Quiches before and had become something of a dab hand at the supposedly "Impossible" quiche, so when the phrase "Quiche Lorraine" hoved into view, I immediately felt quite confident.  Which didn't last long, as I recalled that I'd always shied away from making that one because I understood it to be "complicated" or "tricky".

Ha!  Well, so much for that.  After a bit of self-education care of the internet (i.e. I looked up "Quiche Lorraine" and realised it was nothing short of a doddle), I got cracking.  Ha ha!  See what I did there?  "Cracking" .... *sigh* .... oh alright then, before I get my coat, I'll tell you the recipe I used.

QUICHE LORRAINE (feeds 6 for a buffet or 4 if you're hungry!)

Ingredients :

1 x 8" shortcrust pastry case, part-baked
3 eggs
a pack of streaky bacon
50ml of double cream
salt and pepper to taste
mature cheddar cheese, to add to the filling and some to sprinkle on top
a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Method :

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C (fan).

2.  Dice the streaky bacon and fry it on a medium/high heat until it starts to brown, then put aside to cool slightly.

3.  Grate the amount of cheese you want to use.  We used a goodly amount, probably around 2-3 handfuls, as we're all deeply committed cheesehounds.

4.  Crack the three eggs into a bowl, add the cream and mustard and whisk together.

5.  Add the cooled bacon, grated cheese and some seasoning and mix together until combined.

6.  Decant into the pastry case, leaving the final filling until the pastry case is in the oven - this prevents spillage en route to the oven.

7.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and add a grind or two of pepper if you like.

8.  Bake for some 30 minutes or longer.  When the filling appears solid to the touch, it's done.

Serve as part of a buffet, or with a jacket potato or potato salad and a leafy green salad.