“Trip” to Nice: Quiche Lorraine

My entire apartment smells like smoked gruyere and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Whew, it’s been a while since my last blog post. Two years to be exact. Yeah, that is awhile. Spending so much time at home because of the pandemic has given me the urge to start writing again. So, I hope you like the new blog (and new name)!

This may actually not seem like the best time to start blogging again considering I haven’t left the country in over a year. Traveling was always what I liked writing about the most. My boyfriend and I did a small road trip over the summer to some surrounding states, and we went home to see my family in North Carolina. Not living close to my family has been the hardest part of all this. Once we feel comfortable freely traveling again I know the majority of my time will be spent making up for all the lost time with them.

Besides traveling, I really enjoy cooking. Back when I was traveling regularly I loved taking cooking classes in the places I was visiting. The most memorable have been in Italy and China. I was so happy to discover that many of those classes are now online, from all over the world. In a way it’s like still being able to travel.

So without further ado, let’s “go” to Nice with my first online cooking class experience. I really lucked out with my first, because I was only person in the class on this particular day. It was like getting a private class. The host, Emma, was so lovely and friendly. We chatted briefly about where we both live, and then got straight to making the crust for the quiche.

Emma explained that climate and altitude can affect baking. I’d noticed the altitude disclaimers on premade baking mixes before, but never new climate was a factor too. Despite loving to cook frequently, and always loving to try new recipes, I’ve never been much of a baker because of a few too many flops. With this newfound information, we’ll just chalk that up to climate. Ha!  

I’ve made quiche a few times before, but I’ve never attempted the crust and always have bought the premade ones. One of the things that drew me to the class was that she was teaching how to make the dough for the crust. She made it so easy! We even mixed the dough in the pie pan. In the past, I’ve always had horrible luck with things I bake sticking, so I was a little worried about that step. Each slice ended up coming out like a dream though. The amount of olive oil gave the crust a rich flavor and the perfect texture between soft and crunchy.

The recipe she included prior to class already have vegetarian modifications. In place of bacon, I used shitake mushrooms. I got a hickory-smoked gruyere because I figured the smokiness would be needed in lieu of including bacon or ham. She also advised that I add a clove of garlic since I was replacing the bacon. Oh, and this was a first-time using crème fraiche! In the past I’ve used milk or cream when making quiche. It was interesting to follow a more traditional, authentic French recipe.

Throughout the class Emma talked about the history of the dish, and culinary history to general. I won’t give all the stories away but she told a great one about how pizza originated in Italy. She also shared that quiche is considered a very basic meal in France, one that a cook makes using all the leftovers in the house. Despite being a pretty popular breakfast and brunch food here in the U.S., she said quiche wouldn’t be something served to guests since it uses the leftovers. Things like that always make me chuckle!

I hope my friends aren’t offended, because I will definitely serve them this quiche in the future. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The gruyere and crème fraiche made a different to the taste and texture versus the ones I’ve made in the past. It was smoky and savory, the freshly-ground nutmeg tied it all together. Not to mention the smell of the nutmeg while grinding was even better than the cheese!

This certainly won’t be my last online cooking class!

Link to Emma’s website-

French Life and Food experiences in Nice : accomodation and food (deliciousbyemma.com)

Her quiche recipe-

The french quiche easy recipe from one of the most traditional dish. (deliciousbyemma.com)

The class through AirBnb Experiences (which I highly recommend)-

Simple Quiche Recipe with a French chef - Airbnb