Quiche Lorraine

Method

1. mix5 min
   by hand, minimally
   flour + 1/2 tsp salt + cold butter rubbed to pea-size flakes, then ice water just until it holds — visible butter is the point; those flakes steam apart into layers, and overworking melts them into a crust that bakes tough instead of short
2. rest30 min
   refrigerated
   the dough, wrapped flat — the flour hydrates evenly and the gluten relaxes, which is the difference between a round that rolls out and one that springs back
3. bake15 min
   375°F, blind, weighted
   the rolled shell in its pan, lined and weighted — custard never gets hot enough to cook raw dough beneath it, so an unbaked floor turns to wet cardboard under the filling
4. fry6 min
   medium
   lardons until the fat renders and the edges crisp but the centers stay supple — fully crisped bacon reads as bits; supple lardons read as the dish
5. whisk3 min
   just combined
   eggs + cream + remaining salt + pepper + nutmeg, without beating in froth — foam bakes into holes at the surface, and a quiche's top should set glassy, not spongy
6. bake32 min
   350°F, until the center barely trembles
   shell + lardons + Gruyère + custard, pulled while a two-inch circle at the center still wobbles — custard carries heat inward after the oven, and a quiche that looks done coming out is overbaked and weeping by the time it is cut
7. rest15 min
   on a rack
   before slicing; the proteins finish setting as it cools, and a hot quiche cut early slumps out of its crust