Mini Quiche Lorraine

By davidgoodman

Quiche has undeservedly earned a bad rap, what with the "real men don't eat quiche" jibe and the dainty impression some folks have of it. I think of it as a classic with staying power, and it makes a good medium for all kinds of ingredients and flavors. Smoked ham and Gruyere cheese make it comfort food at its best. Helen Corbitt served several quiches at Neiman Marcus, and this is my adaptation of her Lorraine recipe.

Ingredients

• For the quiche crust:
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (14 ounces)
• For the Quiche Lorraine custard:
• 10 slices thick-cut maple-cured bacon, diced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• dash of grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• 4 ounces smoked ham, chopped
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400F.

To prepare the crust, lightly flour a work surface and roll out the puff pastry with a rolling pin so it fits a rimmed 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with an ovelap of 1/2 inch on each side. Prick the pastry lightly with a fork and cover with another baking sheet the same size. Weight the top sheet with dried beans or pastry weights. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven; set aside the upper pan along with the beans or weights and reserve the baked pastry crust in the pan.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.

To prepare the quiche custard, place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium heat until crisp, 5 or 6 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, when it is cool, crumble it. Discard the rendered bacon fat. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 5 or 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Scrape the onions into a bowl and let cool.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs and the cream and season with the mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the bacon, sauteed onion, ham and cheese evenly over the pastry crust and pour over the cream and egg custard. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cut the quiche in to 3 1/2- to 4-inch squares.