Quiche Lorraine

Really very easy; except for making the dough by hand in a kitchen that's 28 degrees C (82 F). Rather hot for making short pastry.

Also make a 27cm shell instead of 22cm so had to up the recipe by what I calculated as 20%.

Calculating the volume using the Pi R Squared rule (and using pi = 3):
(22/2)**2 * 3 * 1.5 (deep)= 544
(26/2)**2 * 3 * 1.5 = 761
761/544*100 = 140 %

So I was off by 20% - it worked out to be enough filling - but I could have used a little more pastry.

I still don't have a decent format for recipes. The following looks a little disorganized.

On your marble table top:
240 gr flour; sifted
120 gr butter; cold on a hot day like yesterday
Blend them quickly by hand to a nice "sable" (sand); make a Fontaine (a well in the flour/butter mixture)

Add in the center of the fontaine:
1 1/4 eggs (I used liquid pasturized so I weigh my eggs)
6 gr salt
1 T Water (15 gr) - have another 15gr on standby - might be needed

Cut liquids into solids - make a rough dough - don't work it too much; cut the ingredients together. Add the other 10-15 grams (milliliters) of water if needed.

Press the dough out onto the marble, in sections, with the palm of your hand and push it away from you; spreading it out in a long thin streak - - to make sure there are no clumps of butter. Do this up to twice (to blend everything well).

Gather it up; form into a ball; flatten to about 2 cm thick; cover & fridge it for at 20 minutes (while you do other stuff).

220 gr serrano ham pieces; cut in small (1/2 cm) bits (the original recipe calls for smoked slab bacon/poitrine)
Degorge it (put in cold water & bring to a boil); strain; pat dry; fry it briefly to give a little color

120 gr Emmental; diced (should have been Gruyere); or grated

Roll out the dough; it will be crumbly - place into the (buttered) pie shell (27cm [11 in]; removable base)
- Buttering the mold is not to prevent sticking. It is to help the crust stick to the form of the mold
(prick bottom and fill with beans to hold the shape)
Blind bake (prebake) the shell / crust @ 140 for 20 minutes until slightly browned

3.6 eggs; mixed (not beaten frothy) - sure, use 4 if you want to

When shell is done remove from oven and if needed brush egg mix on holes that need repair - the egg will seal small gaps.
Cool shell for 10 minutes on a rack
Crank oven to 180C

Mix the custard:
300 ml cream; 35% type
pepper & salt (light on the salt)
nutmeg; discrete use of this
& the egg mix from earlier

Layer the bottom of the shell / crust with 1 layer of bacon/ham.
Cover with a layer of grated cheese (not touching the sides of the shell)
Pour in the custard mix to cover all and reach (max) the bottom edge of the shell's rim.

Bake for 15 minutes. Until knife comes out cleanly (no custard mix, maybe a little melted cheese though).

Cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing ring & bottom; then cool some more or eat warm.

Reportedly this produced a very nice quiche (I didn't have any - it was for the gang at the Book Club); but not an Oh Ah ¡Spectacular! result. Flaky, not greasy, crust; tasty custard.
I think maybe it needed salt & would have been better with lardon / bacon and the Gruyere cheese instead of ham & Emmantal.