Jalapeno Quiche

I made this quiche for a brunch we had with my cousins a few months back, and served it with fresh fruit. You can adjust the spiciness of the quiche by adding a squirt of sriracha to the mixture or by leaving in a few of the jalapeno seeds. For mild quiche, make sure you de-seed each jalapeno carefully {with the exception of the pieces on top, which are more for decoration.}

Ingredients:

- 1 9-inch pie crust

- 1/2 cup cream cheese

- 2 jalapenos de-seeded & diced, and 1 jalapeno sliced into six rounds

- 1/2 cup cream

- 1/2 cup half n half

- 4 large eggs {or 5 small}

- 1/8 tsp nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp paprika

- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1/8 tsp pepper

- 1/2 cup grated cheddar-jack, pepper jack or your favorite cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1) Thaw pie crust for 10 minutes. Prick pie crust all over the bottom & sides with a fork to make tiny air holes. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Remove pie crust and reduce oven temperature to 350.

2) Microwave cream cheese just until soft, approx. 20-40 seconds. {Watch carefully - you don't want it to be a liquid or explode} While crust is still hot, spread cream cheese over the bottom as evenly as possible. Sprinkle with the diced jalapenos.

3) Combine cream & half n half in a pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until tiny bubbles appear around the edges {scalding, which is just under the boiling point}. Remove from heat.

4) Beat eggs together in a bowl. Add cream/half n half mixture to eggs and mix well. Keep the mixture moving - you don't want to allow the eggs to scramble in the hot cream.

5) Add all spices. Pour into crust and bake for 30 minutes.

6) After 30 minutes, remove from oven and arrange jalapeno rounds in a circle on top, and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-12 more minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown. {At the very end, if the cheese still hasn't browned up nicely, you can also pop it in the broiler for a minute or two to brown the cheese - just be sure to watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.}

7) Cool 30-40 minutes to let set and then serve warm; or cool completely and serve cold.