To make the Shortcrust, place the butter into a mixing bowl and add the flour and salt.
7 Ounces All Purpose Flour, 3.5 Ounces Butter, Pinch Salt
With your hand mix the content and add water gradually to the butter-flour mixture. Work the dough out and make a smooth non-sticky dough.
2-5 Tablespoons Water
Wrap into plastic wrap and keep to rest in your fridge for about 30 to 60 mins. A harder, cooled dough is easier to roll out.
Dust your working space. Roll it out to about 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) thickness.
Place the tart mold over the dough, add 0.8 inch (ca. 2 cm) radius around the tart pan and cut out the dough into a round shape.
Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C)!
Butter the tart pan and place and fit in the cut-out dough carefully into the tart pan.
Poke with a fork randomly a few times into the dough. That will prevent the crust to deform and bulge while baking. Eventually, you may want to add pie weights or dried beans into the tart pan so that the pie crust doesn't bulge. Blind bake (pre-baking) your dough for about 8 minutes. *See Notes
Quiché Custard Filling
In a mixing bowl add the eggs, milk, and flour and combine the ingredients by whisking with a fork shortly until the mixture appears slightly beige or light colored.
4 Eggs, 1 Cup Milk, 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
Then add the ham, (eventually salt) black pepper, nutmeg and chopped chives and mix once again.
⅔ Cup Smoked Ham, ½ Teaspoon Salt, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground, Pinch Nutmeg, 2 Tablespoon Chives
Pour the custard egg mixture into the pre cooked shortcrust tart shell. Top evenly with the grated cheese.
2 Tablespoon Cheese
Bake for about 25 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit (ca. 204 °C) or until golden.
Once baked, leave out a bit to cool and cut into slices.
Notes
Your butter shouldn't be too soft. It's better if it crumbles/blends into the flour because, especially if you work with your hands which are warm and soften the butter.
You can use salted butter for the shortcrust pastry but then skip adding salt to the dough preparation.
Add 1-2 Tablespoon Water. You need to adjust and use your judgment! A humid climate might need a little less water and a dry climate more. It also depends on the flour quality.a little too much water can make it soggy, in that case, add a minimal amount of flour to balance it out again.
The dough must rest in the fridge so that it's hard and cold, that way you can roll the dough out.
Try to use smoked ham or lard for this Quiché Lorraine. Smoked lard or bacon is salted enough, and therefore you wouldn't need to add any salt to the Quiché filling.
You can choose to skip the blind baking of the dough by pouring the filling over the raw dough. We do that when we are rushing, but the dough tends to be a bit undercooked or let's say less dry. If you pick that method, then add the 8 minutes to the cooking time of the Quiché. In total, the Quiché needs to cook 8 mins + 25 mins, or until golden.
The Quiché makes 8 servings/slices. That makes usually 2 slices per Person in Europe.
The authentic Quiché is without cheese. You can make this Quiché Lorraine without cheese.