I’m staring out the window at another wet and gloomy day as I write this, and I finally feel like the weather might be making me insane. Last Friday evening, Colin and I hosted a few friends for paella and wine on the patio, and I actually worried about us being too warm and wanting to escape to the air-conditioned interior. (Did you know they have air conditioning in Columbus? Yeah, me either! But it’s great.) This week, by contrast, I’m back to dreaming up heavy, warm, spicy dishes to stick to my bones (if ever there has been a May I’ve wished for anything, anything besides a sundress to stick to my bones, I certainly can’t remember it). 

Yesterday, for example, I spent the entire day fantasizing about a quiche. There was Mexican chorizo leftover from our paella, and my imagination ran wild once I let myself envision how delicious it would be, baked into a quiche with our favorite salsa jack cheese.

When it came time to conjure up my cheesy, peppery vision, I carefully baked a pâte brisée to make Julia Child proud popped ‘round the grocery an picked up a ready-made crust from the refrigerated section. Colin and I had been to sign the lease on our new apartment (we move in July!) and we were starving. I say, pick your battles. Of course, I’m a proponent of making your own crust. I usually do  - trust me, it’s easy!

The one problem I always have with quiches is one of proportion: There’s always too much egg (read: filler) and never enough stuff. I severely limited the cream in this recipe (I’ve seem quiche recipes that call for more than a cup of heavy cream!) and made a slightly wider crust, which made for a shallower quiche. Fact: We were calling it “quiche pizza” by the end of the night. Fact: It was more flavorful and texturally exciting than most quiches I’ve tried.

Chorizo Quiche

• 1 pie crust
• 3/4 pound Mexican chorizo
• 1 cup grates salsa jack cheese
• 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place medium skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the chorizo from its casings into the hot pan and brown, breaking up into large crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove the browned sausage to a plate.

Brush a pie pan with the chorizo fat. This will help crisp and flavor your crust. Lay the pie crust in the pan and pinch over the edges. Fill the crust with the chorizo, the cheese and the onion.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and cream. Pour into the pie pan, top with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and bake for 30 minutes, or until eggs are no longer jiggly. Serves 4.