Quiche Lorraine with a Cheddar and Chive Pastry

Preparation

In the mood for a tasty quiche lorraine but want to push it to showstopper level? Try this classic quiche lorraine with chunky bacon pieces, gruyere and eggs and a unique cheese and chive pastry. The pastry can be made ahead of time, to split the prep time up.

MAKE THE PASTRY

1. Prepare the pastry ahead of time, by pulsing the flour, butter and pepper in a food processor. Mix the butter into the flour, until it forms breadcrumbs.
2. Add in the cheddar, continue to pulse until you see flecks of orange in the mixture, then add a little ice cold water, a splash at a time, whilst pulsing, until the dough starts to come together. Do not overmix, you can bring the dough together with your hands once the food processor has done its work.
3. Tip the pastry onto a barely floured work surface, sprinkle over the chopped chives and bring the dough together until it just forms a smooth ball with your hands - try not to overwork it. 
4. Flatten it to a puck shape, wrap in cling film and store in the fridge for minimum 30 minutes, or overnight. 
5. Transfer the dough to a medium sized sheet of baking paper and roll the dough out to an even circle about 1cm thick.  It should be around 3-4cm bigger than the pan you’ll be lining.
6. Carefully flip the pastry over to line the HexClad 20cm Hybrid Fry Pan - gently move it to make sure it sits evenly, and there is a 1-2 cm overhang on the pan edge. Save the baking paper for blind baking the base later.
7. Use your fingertips to gently and evenly tuck the edges of the pastry under themselves, so the lip is visible from the side - repositioning some pastry around if needs be. 
8. Using a pinching motion in your dominant index finger and thumb, and the pad of your other index finger, pinch a light “v” of pastry whilst poking into the middle of this v with the other index finger. Repeat all around the edge of the pastry. Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry regularly, then transfer to the fridge for another 30 mins or 15 mins in the freezer.
9. Preheat your oven to 175C / 350 F when you are ready to bake. 
10. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and cut down the baking paper so that it’s just big enough to drape over the edges of the pastry. Tip the baking beads / uncooked beans / rice, to fill the pan, then blind bake the pastry for 12 minutes with the beads/ beans / rice, then another 12 minutes without the beads.

MAKE THE FILLING 

1. Turn the oven up to 190C / 375F and whilst it heats, in a HexClad 25cm Hybrid Fry Pan, fry the bacon for 5-8 minutes flipping as needed, until it has some good colour all over. Separately, whisk the eggs, cream, cheese and nutmeg together, and set aside. Finely chop the bacon once cool enough to handle, save the chives for the top.
2. Sprinkle ⅓ of the cooked bacon onto the base of the pastry, then pour in the egg mixture, before sprinkling the remainder on top along with some more chopped chives.
3. Bake the quiche for 15 minutes, before checking whether the oven has any hotspots, or is uneven, and turn the pan accordingly. Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until it only has a slight wobble and is lightly golden. Once baked, leave the quiche for 10 mins to rest.
4. Serve with a leafy green salad and a simple lemon vinaigrette.