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Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on January 8, 2013

Time

2 hours, plus 30 minutes chilling and 25 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 8

Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

CRUST

4 slices bacon, chopped1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

1 ⅓ cups buttermilk ⅓ cup whole milk 5 large eggs 4 teaspoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese

Before You Begin

The filling may look wet when you remove the quiche from the oven, but the water will disappear as the quiche cools.

Instructions

    for the crust

  1. Spray 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat; reserve bacon for filling.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse flour, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, sugar, salt, and pepper in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses. Add oil and reserved bacon fat and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 12 pulses. Add water and process until dough begins to clump into large pieces, about 10 seconds. Transfer dough to prepared pie plate and press into even layer on bottom and sides of plate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  3. Spray 12-inch square sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and press sprayed side against dough. Fill with pie weights and bake until top edge starts to color, about 30 minutes. Remove crust from oven, remove foil and weights, and sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan evenly over bottom of crust. Return crust to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  4. for the filling

  5. Whisk buttermilk, milk, eggs, cornstarch, salt, and pepper together in bowl until smooth. Stir in bacon and Gruyère. Pour filling into crust. Bake until center of quiche is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let quiche cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve.
Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine

Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

2 hours, plus 30 minutes chilling and 25 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 8

Ingredients

CRUST

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
⅓ cup whole milk
5 large eggs
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

CRUST

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
⅓ cup whole milk
5 large eggs
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

CRUST

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
⅓ cup whole milk
5 large eggs
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

By using the thicker texture (but lower fat and calories) of buttermilk to replace the cream traditionally used in quiche, we were able to significantly reduce the fat and calories. A press-in-the-pan crust that used bacon fat and a little Parmesan cheese added great flavor.

Before You Begin

The filling may look wet when you remove the quiche from the oven, but the water will disappear as the quiche cools.

Instructions

    for the crust

  1. Spray 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat; reserve bacon for filling.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse flour, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, sugar, salt, and pepper in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses. Add oil and reserved bacon fat and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 12 pulses. Add water and process until dough begins to clump into large pieces, about 10 seconds. Transfer dough to prepared pie plate and press into even layer on bottom and sides of plate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  3. Spray 12-inch square sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and press sprayed side against dough. Fill with pie weights and bake until top edge starts to color, about 30 minutes. Remove crust from oven, remove foil and weights, and sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan evenly over bottom of crust. Return crust to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  4. for the filling

  5. Whisk buttermilk, milk, eggs, cornstarch, salt, and pepper together in bowl until smooth. Stir in bacon and Gruyère. Pour filling into crust. Bake until center of quiche is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let quiche cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve.

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