Swiss Chard Tart

By laurakir • September 15, 2009 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: When spring began, I was more than content with sauteeing leafy greens with currants and pine nuts, but as the season wore on I needed something a little different. I love quiche, but wanted something lighter, more veggie, less custard. And to make myself feel at least a tiny bit healthier, I threw some cornmeal and herbs into the crust. For a lighter version you could easily use an oil based crust - laurakir

Serves 6-8

Pastry

1 cup flour
1/4 cup coarse cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
ice water as needed

Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, thyme and butter either in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulsing the processor, or by hand. When ready, the mixture will look like meal, with pieces of butter the size of small peas.
With the motor running (or your fork mixing), add the ice water in a slow stream, until the dough just barely comes together.
Turn dough out onto a piece of saran wrap, press into a disk and wrap well. Chill for at least an hour.
Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 1/4 of an inch. Lay gently, without stretching, into an 11-inch tart pan and press to fit. Trim any excess dough and feel free to eat it while standing alone in your kitchen.
Put the tart dough in pan in the freezer until oven has preheated.
Once removed from freezer, drape aluminum foil to fit and then lay dried beans or some other weight on the aluminum foil.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove weights and foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool, leaving oven at 375 degrees.

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound swiss chard, rinsed and cut into ribbons, leaves separated from stalks as well as possible
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
pinch cayenne pepper
scant scrape nutmeg
salt to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions until just becoming translucent, salting to taste.
Add garlic and chard stems and cook for a few minutes longer.
Add greens and toss, salting again to taste. Cover and allow to steam until greens are fully cooked. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cayenne pepper and nutmeg together.
Spread swiss chard mixture over the prebaked crust, taking care to leave behind as much moisture as possible so as to avoid making the crust soggy.
Then pour egg and milk mixture over the chard.
Bake in 375 degree oven until just set, approximately 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.