The Deli Tart: Dark Rye Crust filled with Ham, Gruyere Cheese and Carmelized Onion

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place one oven rack in the lowest position in the oven.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, crack 6 fresh eggs. Whisk until the yolks are broken and blended.
3. Place ham in a skillet over a medium flame. Cook ham until it is light pink. Remove from flame, cool and dice into bite size pieces. While it cooks, grate the cheese.
4. Add cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg to the eggs and whisk until blended.
5. In the skillet, add the onion to the drippings from the cooked ham. Cook the onions over a medium flame until glossy and browned. Remove from the flame and allow to cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour (rye and white) with the salt.
7. In a deep bowl, mix the vegetable oil and ice water until it is opaque and frothy.
8. Add the oil mixture to the flour and salt mixture. Blend with a fork until blended. The dough will form wet clumps. With your hands, form the dough into a ball. It will feel oily and slightly wet.
9. Tear two sheets of waxed paper about 15 inches in length. Place them side by side on a flat surface, with the long edges overlapping by about 3 inches.
10. Divide the pie dough into 2 balls. Take one ball and place it on the center of the overlapping sheets of waxed paper. Gently flatten the ball of dough with your hands.
11. Tear two more sheets of waxed paper. Place them over the ball of dough, overlapping the long edges by about three inches.
12. Roll out the dough, always keeping the waxed paper between the dough and the flat surface, and between the dough and the rolling pin. Roll in short light strokes starting from the middle to the edge of the dough, spinning the wax paper around as you do, so that you create a circular piece of pie dough.
13. Once you have a circle about 14 inches in diameter, invert your tart pan over teh dough to make sure the dough is about an inch or two bigger than the pan all the way around. Gently peel the wax paper off the top of the dough. Invert the tart pan over and onto the dough. Slide your hand under the bottom sheet of waxed paper, between the paper and the flat surface and flip the dough and the tart pan. Adjust it until the tart pan is centered under the pie dough.
14. Gently pat the tart crust down into the pan. Peel away the wax paper. Don't worry of the dough tears a bit. Just smooth the edges together.
15. Trim the edge of the tart. to the top of the pan. If you are using a real tart pan, just roll your rolling pin over the top and the edges cut the crust into a nice bright line.
16. Place the ham in the bottom of the crust. Add the onions on top of the ham. Add the cheese on top of the onions. Whisk the egg mixture a bit and the pour it over the ingredients.
17. Place the filled crust on the bottom shelf (bottom 1/3) of the oven. Cook for 15 minutes.
18. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Cook for another 45 minutes and remove. The center will still be a bit jiggly but don't worry, egg continues to cook as it cools.
19. Cool for about 15 minutes and slice into eight pieces. Serve with dill pickle spears and hot mustard.