Use Spanish Serrano ham for authentic tapas or try smoked salmon for a brunch tapas menu.

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Sauté onions in olive oil and butter until tender. Spread them on the bottom of the prebaked pastry shell. Sprinkle cheese on top of onions, then the ham.

• Combine eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, and peppers. Stir in chives.

• Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the tart shell, gently pressing down on anything that floats to the top to keep it submerged.

• Bake for 30 minutes, until set. Serve warm or chill, slice, and reheat. Cut into twelve slices and serve two per plate.

Twice Baked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To prebake a pie crust, line a pie pan with pie dough, put coffee filters over the dough, and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 350°F until set, about 25 minutes. Remove beans and coffee filters and bake crust about 10 more minutes, until crust is fully baked.