Quiche Lorraine

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment, noting the dough chill and the resting time after baking. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, keeping the butter cubes and ice water in the refrigerator until you need them. Everything is measured and the butter is cold.

Cut the butter into the flour and 1/4 tsp fine salt in the large bowl with the pastry blender or your fingertips until pea-size bits of butter remain. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition, until the dough holds together when squeezed. You may not need all of the ice water. The dough holds together when squeezed.

Shape the dough into a disk about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it until it is firm all the way through, about 60 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower third. The oven is fully heated.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured counter into a 12-inch (30 cm) round about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, rolling from the center out. Ease it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching it, trim the edge to a 1/2-inch (1 cm) overhang, fold it under and crimp it, then prick the bottom with a fork. Freeze until the shell is firm, about 20 minutes.

Line the frozen shell with parchment and fill it to the rim with pie weights. Set it on the rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375°F on the lower third rack until the edge looks dry and starts to color, about 20 minutes.

Lift out the parchment and weights together and keep baking at 375°F on the lower third rack until the bottom of the shell is pale gold, dry and not shiny, about 8 to 12 minutes. Take out the baking sheet with the shell and lower the oven to 325°F (165°C).

Put the bacon in a cold 10-inch skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook, stirring now and then, until the fat melts out and the edges turn crisp and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the bacon onto paper towels and pour off the fat, leaving only a thin film in the skillet.

Whisk the eggs in the medium bowl until the whites and yolks are fully blended. Whisk in the half-and-half, 1/4 tsp fine salt, the black pepper and nutmeg to taste, stopping before the custard turns frothy. The custard is smooth with no streaks of egg white.

Cook a spoonful of the custard in the bacon-fat skillet over low heat, stirring, until it sets through. Taste it with a piece of bacon. Aim for savory and well seasoned, not salty, with a faint, warm hint of nutmeg. If it tastes flat, whisk fine salt to taste into the custard. The custard is seasoned to your taste.

Brush the warm shell thinly with some of the custard and bake it at 325°F on the lower third rack until the coating looks matte. Pull out the rack, spread the bacon and the Gruyère, if using, over the bottom of the shell, and pour in the custard to just below the crimp. Bake at 325°F until the center wobbles like set gelatin and reaches 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Rest the quiche on the wire rack until the center firms and it is warm, not hot, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cut it into 4 servings. Refrigerate leftovers covered and reheat slices in a 325°F (165°C) oven until they reach 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.