Ingredients :

• Shortcrust pastry — Get the rolled kind, not the block. It cuts cleanly with a glass or a cookie cutter without any hassle. Take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before use — too cold and it cracks, too warm and it sticks to your fingers and shrinks during baking.
• Smoked turkey bacon — This is the substitute for pork lardons, and it works very well. Smoked turkey bacon gives the same effect — melting pieces, smoky taste — without the excess fat. Cut it into small strips if you buy it in slices. A 1-minute sear in a dry hot pan activates it before going into the molds.
• Thick crème fraîche — This is what gives the melting texture. Do not replace with liquid cream — the mixture would be too runny and wouldn’t set properly. 30% fat minimum; it’s the difference between a creamy quiche and one that collapses.
• Nutmeg — Marked ‘optional’ in many recipes, it is practically indispensable in practice. A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg in the mixture is that little detail that makes people ask ‘what’s in this?’. Grate it fresh — pre-ground nutmeg in a jar has lost half its aroma.