Savory quiche a comforting delight in fickle weather

April has been called the cruelest month, its fickle nature making fools of us all. Case in point, this week's snow forecasts on the heels of an 80-degree heat wave. Such a month demands some measure of stability. Familiar fare at the dinner table is a start -- for instance, quiche.\nQuiche is a savory, open-faced pie that begins with a few eggs, a cup or so of light cream and a crust. The rest is negotiable, allowing quiche to range from the pedestrian to the sublime depending on what else you throw in. \nWhile it is undeniably comfort food, I always associate quiche with spring and summer family picnics, on which occasions my mother predictably packed a basket full of muffin-tin sized bacon and Swiss quiches, garden mint-flecked fruit salad and soft molasses cookies.\nDespite my talent for eating quiche, my quiche-baking premiere was a dismal affair: The filling was bland, the crust -- soggy -- was reminiscent of wet cardboard, and a good third of the filling sloshed overboard as I slid the pie pan into the sizzling hot oven (it took close to a year to get all of it off). Foolishly overconfident because of the recipe\'s seeming simplicity, I had overlooked the finer points of production. They are brief, but essential.\nHere is what I learned the hard way. Foremost, use a generous hand to season the filling with salt and pepper. You will be recognized as a fine cook by most anyone if you learn how to properly season food. Develop a strong working relationship with your salt and pepper shakers and basic dishes such as quiche will sparkle like Keats\' prose. Under-seasoned, the same dish is the culinary equivalent of an Amway catalog. Sprinkle salt into your hand before sprinkling it into the quiche filling; this will give you greater control over the seasoning process as well as a better sense of how much is going into the dish.\nThe second fine point stems from understanding the foundation of quiche. The filling is essentially custard, which means that the goal is a softly-set, creamy filling. Cooked at too high a temperature, the filling will be hard, rubbery when cool and tasteless; too low, and the crust will be soggy. The solution is to prebake the crust (either homemade or store-bought) at a high temperature and cool it completely (to keep the crust crisp). To finish, reduce the oven temperature, add the filling and bake until the center is just set.\nThe sloshing is remedied by placing the unfilled, pre-baked pie crust (in its pan) on a baking sheet. Pour in the filling, then lift the entire baking sheet into the oven.\nIf you serve your quiche to others, you will inevitably encounter the zealotry of anti-fat crusaders. Eggs, cream and a buttery crust? It is an expected target. Those who choose to eschew even the slenderest sliver of this delicious classic are entitled to their opinions. But if said acquaintances are adamant in making you feel guilty for a few fleeting moments of gustatory happiness, cross them off all future guest lists. Enough said.\nEggs have received a bad rap for their fat and cholesterol. Two eggs have less fat than four ounces of skinless dark-meat chicken and are an excellent protein source. They are cheap, too. Additional fat and calories can be trimmed by substituting two egg whites for one of the eggs, replacing the cream with canned, evaporated skim milk, or eliminating the crust. The latter can be done for reasons of fatigue (it is one less thing to do) as much as for fat. Line the naked pie pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray before pouring the filling; the pieces will lift out with ease and the foil can be peeled off.\nPARMESAN, PEPPER, AND CORN QUICHE\n1 homemade or frozen, thawed deep-dish pie crust\n4 large eggs\n1 and 1/4 cups half and half OR evaporated skim milk\n1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried basil\n1 tablespoon all purpose flour\n1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)\n1 and 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 2 ears) or frozen, thawed\n1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper\n1/2 small onion, very finely chopped\n1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese\nPreheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Line it with foil and fill with dried beans or rice (these can be re-used for the same purpose). Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove the weights and foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.\nIn a large bowl whisk together the eggs, half and half, basil, flour, salt and pepper to taste until well-blended. Stir in the corn, bell pepper, onion and cheese. Place the prebaked crust on a baking sheet; pour filling into crust. Transfer baking sheet with quiche to oven. Bake until filling is slightly puffed and top is golden, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool to lukewarm (or refrigerate; quiche can be made up to a day in advance). Makes 6 servings.\nVARIATIONS:\nSAUSAGE LOVER\'S QUICHE: Follow recipe above but replace corn with 1 pound pork or turkey Italian sausage, cooked, drained of fat and crumbled.\nSPINACH AND DILL QUICHE: Follow recipe above but replace corn, peppers and onion with 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of excess liquid), 4 finely chopped green onions and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill (or 2 teaspoons dried). Use parmesan (as directed above) or 4 ounces crumbled feta or goat cheese.\nTEX-MEX TWIST QUICHE: Follow recipe above but replace basil with 2 tablespoons cilantro, replace Parmesan with 2/3 cup shredded pepperjack or sharp cheddar cheese and add 2 teaspoons ground cumin and chopped jalapeno pepper to taste.