Gluten-Free Quiche Lorraine

This is a classic French dish using a homemade gluten-free savoury shortcrust pastry and a traditional egg, cream and bacon custard filling. This quiche is perfect to serve either straight from the oven or chilled on a warm day with plenty of fresh salad and a side of Dijon mustard.

In French, quiche means tart and this savoury tart was named after the Lorraine region in north-eastern France.

Traditionally, the quiche is finished off with some extra crumbled butter, which is scattered over the top of the custard before it is baked. Legendary chef, Julia Child loved to add this to give the quiche a buttery and more golden touch. However, I have refrained from doing this in this recipe as I feel there is already quite a high proportion of butter in the pastry plus the custard is rich enough in flavour.

Cheese or no cheese?

Looking through many classic cookbooks, I notice that some Quiche Lorriane recipes ask for grated cheese. As it is not a traditional ingredient, I have left it out, but feel free to add some cheese if you prefer a cheesier quiche. I have suggested the amount and types needed in the recipe card below. When adding cheese, I recommend reheating any leftover quiche rather than eating it cold.

Gluten-Free Savoury Shortcrust Pastry

After several attempts, I found Australian chef, Stephanie Alexander’s recipe for shortcrust pastry the best. I switched the flour to my gluten-free plain flour blend and added xanthan gum and some plain cream cheese to the mixture to bind it together.

The dough is easy to make, providing you follow some of my tips. It is extremely manageable to roll out and assemble, but best of all, it tastes fantastic!

Tips for making the pastry:

• Pastry-making is best done on a cool day, but if you are living in the tropics or in the middle of a heatwave, the fridge and ice cubes will help you. First make sure everything is chilled – the butter, the bowl, the grater etc. Just before rolling, place a plastic bag filled with some ice or frozen peas on top of the countertop where you intend to roll the dough. Keep some ice in a small bowl to rub onto your hands when handling the dough. Also, if you are an early riser, making pastry first thing will be easier before the day heats up.
• Grate the chilled butter onto a plate before rubbing it into the flour. The butter will incorporate much faster and easier than as cut pieces.

• Once the dough ball is formed, chill it briefly before finally blending it on a lightly floured countertop with the heel of your hand (not the palm as it will be too warm). This technique is done to spread the butter out one final time and the French call this “frisage”.
• After this final “frisage”, it is essential to roll it out between two sheets of baking paper, otherwise, it will stick to your rolling pin and counter. It is best to avoid adding extra flour to unstick the dough, as the pastry will become brittle and taste floury once baked.

Pimp your quiche!

Naturally customising your quiche with popular ingredients like salmon or spinach will create a more wholesome and tastier quiche. There are endless additions to choose from. I often throw in some roasted vegetables and garlic mushrooms, using leftovers from a family roast.

Enjoy creating your own version with this basic recipe!