Recipe: Quiche Lorraine

It's hard to think of a dish which has had more of a bum-rap over time than this one! To have been taken up as it was - presumably, at some point post-war - its true merits must once have been recognised...and then, having been taken up, it suffered the indignities of mass-production and inept handling, to become the soggy-bottomed stalwart of a million church fetes, and wedding buffets, and home counties' social events, until all of its fundamental charms had become entirely beaten out of it. Which is so unfair. Because, properly made, it is crisp, and light and meltingly delicious. And, so simple to make...

 Ingredients: 

2 individual 10 cm shortcrust pastry shells*; 3 tablespoons diced pancetta (or bacon); 1 egg; 75 ml cream; 3 tablespoons grated parmesan (or any hard, strong flavoured cheese that you have to hand); seasoning, to taste. 

 Method: 

 1. Blind-bake the two shells, at 180 degrees C, until they are distinctly coloured (ten minutes with the baking beans inside the shells, and a further ten minutes after the beans have been removed). 

2. Meanwhile, finely dice the pancetta and fry it briefly over high heat, for three or four minutes. Set aside. 

3. Beat together the egg and cream, and season to taste. 

 4. Once the shells are ready, divide the diced pancetta between the shells, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese over each tart, and then divide the egg and cream mixture over the top; sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the two tarts and bake for fifteen minutes. 

In the final stage of baking the mixture will swell agreeably into perfect domes, and at this stage you'll know that they're done. 

 * For shortcrust pastry: using a food processor, grate 250 gm butter, which has previously been frozen; add to this 240 gm plain flour, and about a quarter teaspoon of salt; process briefly together, until it looks like claggy sand, and then add 50 ml of cold water. If you respect these quantities exactly, the mixture will resolve itself into one homogenous mass, which you should then remove from the processor and push together once with the palm of your hand, before wrapping in plastic. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before using, but it can be left for several days. This quantity of pastry is sufficient for about eight small tarts, or three 8" shells, or for one 8" shell as well as a lattice-topped tart, or whatever combination of the above you prefer. I always make this quantity, and then roll out the shells I think I'm going to use in the short term, and then freeze all of the shells once rolled out, and I bake them as wanted directly from the freezer.