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Prep time
1 hour
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
6-8
Author Notes
Garlic Confit has quickly become something of a secret weapon of ours. Tossed through pasta, blended into dressings, whizzed into hummus - perfuming gentle garlicky notes without the aggressive heat or aftertaste of its raw counterpart. It's dynamite. And in this quiche, we may have found its best use yet.
A separate note, however, is the cheese. Traditionally, Quiche Lorraine doesn't contain cheese - just eggs, cream and lardons inside a shortcrust case. Quite the pain-point for many a Lorraine purist.
I know. I understand.
I do, however, feel it rather benefits from the addition of the dastardly gruyere - as most things do - so I’ve decided to add it. I’ve also made carbonara with cream once or twice, call me a heathen!
And to add further insult to injury, I’ve added a few sliced cloves of garlic confit to the party - the mellower, almost sweet garlic confit brings a wonderfully savoury, garlicky moreishness to the quiche that elevates this dish to an indulgent experience worthy of rivalling the very best quiches you've had, cheese or no.
So why not join us in thumbing our noses at tradition - it’s delicious on this side of the fence, we promise!
A Note on Working From Home:
During the troubling times of the Corona Virus Pandemic, this quiche has been a regular lunch-time comfort! The pastry case can be quickly prepared mid-morning, whilst the filling comes together in minutes. We usually make this on a Monday and enjoy the first few slices warm for lunch. Assuming your will-power is strong enough, this quiche will sit in the fridge to be enjoyed cold for the remaining week. Though a double batch may be necessary! Just make sure you accompany each slice with a salad!
—Our Modern Kitchen
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Ingredients
- THE PASTRY
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250 grams
Plain Flour
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125 grams
Cold Unsalted Butter, cubed
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1-3 tablespoons
Cold Water
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1 pinch
Salt
- THE FILLING
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3
Medium Eggs
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1
Egg Yolk
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200 grams
Smoked Lardons
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400 milliliters
Double Cream
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5
Garlic Confit Cloves, sliced into 5mm slices
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100 grams
Gruyere, grated
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1 pinch
Salt & Pepper
Directions
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TIP - Making shortcrust pastry in a food processor limits the amount of time your hands are in contact with the pastry, meaning the butter stays as cold as possible for longer, yielding flakier, more buttery pastry. You can absolutely make the pastry with your hands, just try not to over-handle as this will result in tougher pastry.
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To make the pastry, add the flour and cold cubed butter into a food processor and pulse until you have a mixture which resembles fine breadcrumbs.
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Add one to three tablespoons at a time of very cold water and pulse again, until the pastry looks as though it's just starting to clump together. Usually, it will take about two tablespoons.
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Wrap the dough and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
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Whilst the pastry is resting in the fridge, prepare the lardons. Place a large pan over a medium heat and add the lardons into the dry pan. Gradually increase the heat to the pan as the fat renders out of the lardons until the pan has reached a medium-high heat and the lardons are sizzling and starting to slightly crisp. About 5 minutes.
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Remove the lardons from the pan and transfer to a plate to cool.
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Remove the pastry from the fridge and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm.
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Lightly butter a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Carefully lay the pastry over the tart tin, gently pressing the pastry into the edges of the tray. Trim off any excess pastry and prick the base of the pastry with a fork.
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Cover the pastry and return to the fridge for 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 200Cº (fan oven).
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Remove the pastry from the fridge and line with a sheet of baking parchment, followed by baking beans. Blind-Bake the pastry in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven, baking for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden.
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Preheat the oven to 160Cº (fan oven).
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In a large mixing bowl, add the three eggs, egg yolk, double cream and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until entirely mixed and evenly combined. Add the cheese into the mixture and whisk together.
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Pour the mixture into the pastry, ensuring there aren’t any large clumps of cheese in one place. Evenly scatter over the lardons and sliced garlic confit and season with a pinch of pepper.
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Transfer the quiche to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and just set. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for an hour before slicing - serving with a salad, this part should be mandatory!
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