Elegant Quiche

This quiche earns its name. A from-scratch butter pastry crust holds a custard made with five whole eggs plus two extra yolks, giving it a richness and density that store-bought crusts and basic three-egg recipes simply can’t match.

The filling follows the classic Lorraine tradition: crisp bacon, Swiss cheese, and onions sautéed with thyme and a bay leaf. That brief bloom of herbs in butter gives the onions an aromatic depth that raw onion could never provide. Remove the bay leaf before it goes into the shell, though. Biting into a bay leaf buried in custard is nobody’s idea of elegant.

The pastry uses a full cup of butter cut into the flour until it resembles coarse meal, with a tablespoon of oil for extra tenderness. Handle it as little as possible. Overworking butter-heavy dough develops gluten and gives you a tough crust instead of a flaky one. If the dough feels too soft after mixing, a few minutes in the fridge firms it right up.

The custard sets when a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing so the filling firms up enough to hold its shape.

Pro Tips

• Grate the Swiss cheese rather than cubing it. Grated cheese distributes evenly through the custard instead of sinking to the bottom.
• Drain the bacon thoroughly. Excess grease in the custard will make the filling oily and prevent it from setting properly.
• Use cold butter for the crust. Room temperature butter won’t create those flaky layers.
• A 10-inch quiche pan gives the best crust-to-filling ratio for this amount of custard.

Variations

• Swap the bacon for smoked salmon and add fresh dill for a brunch-worthy seafood quiche.
• Use Gruyère instead of Swiss for a nuttier, more complex cheese flavor.
• Add a handful of sautéed mushrooms alongside the onions for a deeper, earthier filling.