Need a Last-Minute, Savory Dish for Your Easter Brunch? Add a French Flair with Quiche Lorraine.

Easter is just around the corner. Do you need a last-minute, super simple dish for your Easter brunch? My Quiche Lorraine is to die for. This recipe was a customer favorite at Carol Ann’s Deli and is in my cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market.

Easter brunch traditionally includes savory dishes like frittatas or quiche, breakfast casseroles, smoked salmon or baked ham, deviled eggs, and salads made with spring greens, which are so crisp and delicious this time of year. It also includes a variety of sweet dishes like waffles, cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, fruit salad, and desserts. I love including Quiche Lorraine on my Easter brunch table. This French classic originated in northeastern France in the region of Alsace-Lorraine.

I first ate this savory French pastry in a quaint café in Paris. It is made with a short crust pastry called Pâte Brisée and is filled with a creamy egg and cheese custard and bacon (lardons) and onions. Quiches have evolved over the years and now include ham or other proteins and a variety of vegetables, but I am partial to the classic preparation made with bacon. When I make Quiche Lorraine, I reminisce about that delightful café in Paris and our time exploring Paris. And, this time of year, I have a little bit of France on my Easter table.

Quiche Lorraine

Serves 8 to 10 as an appetizer

4 to 6 as an entrée

You can make this with either Swiss or Gruyère cheese. For a more French flair, use Gruyère. If you are strapped for time, you can purchase a frozen pie crust (I prefer Marie Callender’s®) or use frozen puff pastry sheets to make a crust, which work nicely for quiche as the filling is not too heavy.

1 unbaked (8-inch) pie shell

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the bottom of pie shell with a fork and bake 5 to 7 minutes.

6 slices bacon

2 tablespoons pan drippings

½ cup yellow onion, diced

1 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Reduce the heat in the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, fry bacon over a medium heat until crisp and transfer to paper towels to drain. Cool and crumble into ½-inch pieces.

Drain skillet of all but 2 tablespoons pan drippings. Add onion to the skillet and sauté until translucent. In a medium bowl, combine bacon, onion, and cheese and toss gently. Place the bacon mixture in the bottom of the pie shell.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper and whisk to blend. Pour the egg mixture over the bacon mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of quiche comes out clean. Cool on a rack before cutting into wedges.

Tips on selecting cheese from the stand-alone counter: You are most likely to find Gruyère cheese in the stand-alone cheese counter of your supermarket. One of the advantages of purchasing cheese from the stand-alone counter is that often you can have the cheese cut to order, so you are only buying what you need. In addition, you can ask to sample the cheese to determine if it is something you like. Most of the time cheese purchased from the stand-alone cheese counter will be of higher quality but also more expensive. The employees that staff this section are trained to be knowledgeable about cheese. Get to know them. They can answer any questions you have about purchasing cheese for a charcutier tray, or they can recommend nice accompaniments, like pairing fig jam with Brie.

The cheeses in this case are usually cut and wrapped once a week. Softer cheeses are cut twice a week. Check the label. It will often indicate both the date and time the cheese was cut and wrapped. Avoid any packages where the cheese is over ripe or moldy, except for some blue cheeses or expensive Brie that ripen with harmless molds. Softer cheeses should be soft and moist but should not have cracks or be brown in color.

Tips on storing semi-soft to semi-hard cheese: Semi-soft to semi-hard cheeses like Gruyère, Havarti, Muenster, Gouda, Edam, and Jarlsberg contain more moisture than hard cheeses, so they won’t keep as long. If they are stored properly, you may be able to extend the shelf life 2 to 4 weeks past the “Sell-By” date. Wrap semi-soft and semi-hard cheese in parchment paper and then place in a reusable food storage bag or in a Ziploc® bag. If you think the cheese has gone bad, use your sense of smell and taste. It should not smell putrid and should taste like it did when you brought it home. You can cut mold off semi-soft and semi-hard cheeses, but if the mold looks unusual, it is best to toss the cheese out.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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