A Recipe from France: The Traditional Quiche Lorraine

By Mathilde Cames, ESL teacher

Image from: https://img.taste.com.au/yzM49jFu/taste/2017/02/classic-quiche-lorraine-121391-2.jpg

Food in France is a sacred matter. We, French people, love our food. We even tend to consider that our national food is simply the best. We have it all: excellent cheese, exquisite wine, abundant fruits and vegetables and a great variety of high-quality meats. And have you ever tried our traditional pastries? They taste amazing.

Because of our common History, Canada, especially the province of Quebec, and France share a great deal of culinary traditions. Have you ever tried Brie cheese? It is actually called this way because this typical variety of soft-ripened cheese originates from the region of la Brie, in the north of France, close to Paris. It is also a very popular type of cheese in Canada, although Canadians also like their Cheddar, which they inherited from the British. What we do have in common for certain is a taste for refined foods. France is said to have enough cheese varieties for you to try a different kind every 365 days of the year. You will never get bored!

Among all the best-selling and iconic French recipes, the Quiche Lorraine is also arguably the easiest. It is also a very convenient recipe because it is so versatile, quick to make and easy to preserve.

I particularly appreciate that recipe because it is the first dish that I learned to cook with my grandmother. Like all grandmothers in the world, mine was an excellent chef. She used to cook for us all the time and was very talented. We loved having lunch at Grandma. One day, she offered to give my first cooking lesson, and I asked to learn how to make a quiche. It was a challenge because my grandmother would never use any measurement. She trusted her instincts and her great knowledge, and was never wrong. But to make it easier for you, I have decided to give you rough quantities. Here is the recipe:

You will need a few appliances:

A mixing bowl

A rolling pin (if you are brave enough to make your own pie crust – easy as pie!)

A pie plate that goes to the oven (I recommend glass pie plates)

A whisk

Here is your list of ingredients:

For the crust:

A cup and ½ of wheat flour

A tablespoon of olive oil or butter

½ cup of water

A pinch of salt

Otherwise, you can buy a pie crust if you want to save some time. 😉

For the rest of the quiche:

4 eggs

½ cup of sliced bacon or sliced ham (or both) OR salmon if you like fish better

You can also replace the meat with all sorts of vegetables if you are vegetarian, my personal favourites being leek, onions, bell peppers and spinach.

2 cups of cooking cream (you can use sour cream if you can't find cooking cream)

1 cup of shredded cheese (Swiss or Cheddar or Parmesan)

⅛ tablespoon of salt

⅛ tablespoon of grounded Black pepper

My secret ingredient: a pinch of grounded nutmeg!

How to make the crust:

Mix the flour, water, pinch of salt, and oil or butter in a mixing bowl and knead the dough until even and soft.

Sprinkle more flour over the dough to dry it and ease the rolling, then sprinkle some more on your kitchen counter.

Spread the dough over the flour to form the crust.

Roll the dough into a pie crust of the desired size with the rolling pin. If the dough sticks, sprinkle some more flour.

When the crust is ready, place it onto your pie plate and pick it with a fork to prevent it from swelling while baking.

How to make the quiche:

Clean your mixing bowl to remove all the remaining flour.

Batter the 4 eggs into your mixing bowl.

When the eggs are battered, incorporate the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the mix. Whisk it until even.

Slice your meats or vegetables into small pieces. Place them onto the crust like on a pizza.

Pour the mix onto your crust and meats/veggies.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. If needed, add more salt, pepper or nutmeg. You may also add garlic salt, garlic powder, or chives and other herbs if you like.

Bring your oven to a 180°C (350°F)

When the oven has warned up, bake the quiche for 20 to 30 minutes.

Important vocabulary for this recipe:

Pinch

Whisk

Pie plate

Knead

Spread

Sprinkle

Leek

Bell peppers

Chives

Herbs