To me, Easter brunch would not be complete without one signature dish on the table -- my dad's quiche Lorraine.
This dish is a classic in our family for good reason: a perfectly tender, flaky, buttery crust cradling the creamy egg custard center with ribbons of melty Gruyère cheese, sweet onions and bacon all seamlessly sprinkled throughout every bite. And although I'm no baker, I had to try my hand at it.
Since I couldn't hop on a flight to San Diego to be with my family on Easter Sunday, I decided to hop on FaceTime and take notes from the egg pie master -- Dan McCarthy.
"I started making this my junior year in high school -- it made for a great breakfast on the weekend," my dad told me. "Then I made it for mom before we had [kids] and eventually it became a holiday staple, because it was so easy and obviously a crowd pleaser. You guys used to call it egg pie." Plus, he added, "It works so well with the whole Easter egg theme."
"The idea is to have something special, satisfying and individual because you can grab a piece when you want it. You've got other activities going on on a holiday morning. You can put other things with it, like fresh fruit, but it's versatile," my dad explained.
He texted me a picture of the browned and yellowed Betty Crocker recipe page that he's used for years. Except it was missing all his top-secret adjustments like "add more cayenne plus 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika" and "build three successive layers of the filling" before adding the egg mixture.
"Bleary eyed, waking up early on Easter morning, to have everything pre-prepped makes it really easy to put together," he said of the shredded cheese, diced onion and egg custard mixture that he prepares the night before. "Store bought, pre-made pie crusts are a godsend and work beautifully in this application."
I let my bacon sizzle on the griddle while my dad opted for baking it on a sheet pan in a 325-degree oven for 25 minutes.
"It's good to have the bacon a little on the crispy side, because it soaks in the custard and absorbs some of the liquid," he suggested. As for the spice upgrade, he said to add a pinch of paprika because "you can barely taste it, but you know it's there and because it's so rich -- it seems to be a good balance."
Taking a page from my dad's mise en place book, I shredded the Gruyère, grated my onions and cooked the bacon, then placed the ingredients in individual containers overnight in the fridge.
Some quiche recipes call for small cubes or larger, thick-grated cheese, but my dad has been using his food processor with the shredder blade attachment for years. Why? "Because I'm lazy and it makes a perfect grate," he said honestly with a laugh. "Also, I use a little more cheese than the original recipe called for because I build my pie a little bit bigger."
We both used a standard glass Pyrex pie pan, he prepped with a light spray of canola oil while I went big with a smear of salted butter.
Next, we assembled the quiche -- both going for a store-bought pie dough crust. Mine was from Trader Joe's while his was from Kroger, which ultimately put me a touch over the edge in taste (see scorecard below). Dan layered his filling inside the dough and repeated the process three times, whereas I sprinkled all the bacon first, then onion and finally cheese before pouring in the egg mixture.
My dad has the luxury of a convection oven, plus prefers a more caramelized top and well-done texture, so he opted for 425 degrees on convection for 25 minutes then reduced the heat to 300 for up to 40 more minutes. My New York City oven is just good enough to turn on (most days) so I let the thermometer rise to 425 degrees and cooked it for 15 minutes, then reduced the heat to 300 degrees for another 30 minutes.
Both bakes resulted in a souffle-like puff, crispy edges and a buttery, bacon aroma that I hope never dissipates.
"Mom told me to give myself a 7 on execution instead of 10," he said bluntly. "Because it was a little on the overcooked side, but not for me because I like the crust on top. I also wasn't meticulous on the measuring. Like you I kinda freewheel it, 'cause I know and I've done it."
As far as flavor goes, he gave himself an 8 -- "only because I didn't like the brand of crust as well."
For presentation, with an assist from my mom and her garden, the plating got a leg up with fresh chive blossoms and beautiful garnishes: 10 out of 10.
As for my own -- taste I can't give myself a 10, since I didn't make the crust, but every flavor was on point and I will actively stop myself from eating the whole thing by myself.
My parents also won in the unmentioned pairing category.
"Bubbly makes everything better and I don't know of a better pairing than either a blanc de noir or a brut rose [champagne]. It's just beautiful with that dish," he suggested for anyone in the over-21 crowd.
"I like to make multiple. It's really easy to make two as long as you're making one. So I'll cook two, pull one out a little bit early for freezing for a fresh cook," he said. "Oftentimes it never makes it to the freezer with our crowd, but if it does, great!"
This is an adaptation of an original recipe from "Betty Crocker All Time Favorites" Cookbook, 1971. The original calls for 12 slices of fried and crumbled bacon; 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese; 1/3 minced onion; 2 cups whipping cream; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and salt.
Editori's Note: This story was originally published on April 2, 2021.
