Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edges.
2. Scatter the filling ingredients evenly over the bottom of the crust.
3. Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together, then pour over the filling.
4. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the center is just set and a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean.
5. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

The Tale of Quiche Lorraine

Story updated September 15, 2026

Quiche Lorraine takes its name from Lorraine, a historic region in northeastern France that was, for centuries, an independent duchy closely tied to the Germanic-speaking world, a connection some food historians believe explains the dish's name, possibly derived from the German word Kuchen, meaning cake. The earliest documented references to something like quiche appear in the records of a hospice in the Lorraine city of Nancy dating to 1605, describing simple tarts of bread dough topped with eggs, cream, and herbs. Smoked bacon, or lardons, became part of the standard recipe in the 19th century, giving the dish the rich, savory character familiar today; one of the earliest known published recipes appeared in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro in 1901. Quiche Lorraine remained largely a regional specialty, little known outside its home province, until the mid-20th century, when it spread across France and internationally, often gaining an addition of cheese along the way that purists still consider a departure from the original.