Quiche Lorraine

I'm a cook, which means, I cook things from scratch. I also cook things from mixes, but I prefer to try new recipes and prepare something interesting. This started when I was young, maybe 11, and I was home in the house for a couple hours before my parents got home from work. My mom prepared a lot of casseroles that I could pop in the oven for her. But as for dessert? She let me make whatever I wanted, and I could experiment as much as I dared while she was still at work. This resulted in lots of jello parfaits and jello poke cakes -- it was the 70's after all, and I tried all the recipes in my mom's Good Housekeeping magazine. But occasionally I'd make dinner too. One of my specialties was quiche lorraine, which is traditionally a swiss and bacon quiche. My family loved that. Now, I've introduced it to my kids, and they love it too.

Here's my recipe for an easy quiche lorraine. This one was especially easy because I didn't make my own pie crust -- I went with the Mrs. Smith's frozen crust. Hey, there's nothing wrong with semi-homemade.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Cut an entire package of bacon into little pieces. (That will be enough for two pies.) Fry the pieces of bacon until crisp, then drain all the fat and put the bacon on some paper towels to get even more fat.


When the oven is preheated, put the pie crusts on a cookie sheet. I always line my sheets with parchment paper (not to be confused with waxed paper) so if there's any spillage, I don't have to clean a pan. Bake the crusts for about 8 minutes. This partially bakes them so they'll end up a little firmer and won't get a soggy bottom.


After the crusts come out, put them aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Split the cooked bacon between the two crusts.


Cut or shred 12 ounces of swiss cheese, splitting it between the two crusts. I happened to have a package of sliced cheese, so I used that. I think it's easier to get a block and shred it, though.


For two pies, whisk together 6 eggs, 4 yolks, and 1 cup heavy cream. Add some salt, ground white pepper, and ground nutmeg. Pour it into the two crusts. If it doesn't seem to go high enough in the crust, you can add another egg or so. I think the premade crusts differ in size, especially if you get a deep dish or not.


Bake the quiches at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Check them by jiggling the pan and making sure the filling is not jiggling. If it is, leave them in for another 5 or 10 minutes. Then enjoy. This is a great meal with a salad. Of course, you can alter the fillings: try cheddar and broccoli; ham and brie; swiss, spinach, and mushroom. Plus, the cooked quiche freezes very well. I have one wrapped in foil in my freezer ready for a busy day's dinner.