Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked bacon, chopped
• 6 ounces gruyere cheese or other swiss cheese, grated
• 3 eggs
• 12 ounces heavy cream or creme fraiche (For this, I'm partial to the creme fraiche. You can make your own. See my recipe for Creme Fraiche.)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. 1

   Cook chopped bacon in a heavy skillet with a little butter or olive oil until browned.

2. 2

   Remove the bacon from the skillet to a glass or paper plate lined with a couple paper towels.

3. 3

   Butter a 9" glass pie dish.

4. 4

   Spread bacon and then the grated Gruyere in the pie plate.

5. 5

   Whisk together the eggs, creme fraiche, salt, and pepper.

6. 6

   Pour over the bacon and cheese, using a fork to gently distribute the bacon and cheese evenly.

7. 7

   Bake the quiche in a water bath in a 350F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. 8

   Serve hot or at room temperature.

9. 9

   Note: A water bath is simply placing the dish to be cooked in a larger dish, then filling the larger dish with water to about 1" from the top of the smaller dish, then bake.

10. 10

    I get the water ready to pour, place the uncooked quiche in the larger dish and then into the oven, and THEN pour the water in.

11. 11

    Be very careful pulling this out of the oven.

12. 12

    Move slowly so the hot water doesn't slosh about.

13. 13

    Don't pull your oven rack out with the dish on it unless your rack moves very smoothly or the water will slosh.