savory solstice tart

if this recipe had a subtitle, it would be "love letter to heidi swanson".  i found her site about a year ago, and though i'm not much of an avid blog follower, i do regularly check up 101cookbooks.  heidi's into farmers markets, takes lovely pictures & lays out enticing recipes.  we often find her posts inspiring, and i regard her as a bit of a peer in the curious online cooking world.  i found this recipe of hers earlier this spring, and today pulled it out of the archives as we had both green garlic and turnip greens in our CSA box.  with only one week of green garlic left in the season, i felt adventurous enough to see if a heidi-inspired tart could pass muster for our weekly CSA recipe.  though similar, our recipes are different.  i use different flour proportions, sub whole wheat pastry flour for her unbleached white flour & skimp on the butter.  additionally, i changed a few of the quantities for the filling.  the recipe is a bit of work, but it is wonderful: i hope you're feeling adventurous enough to give it a go! 

tart crust

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 cups spelt flour

scant (just under) 1 cup corn meal

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup butter -frozen

1 large egg yolk

1/4-1/2 cup cold water (i add an ice cube or two)

Make the crust first, it takes a while!  this recipe is enough for two 9 inch tarts.  reserve half the dough in the freezer if you want, it will keep 1-2 weeks.  to begin: mix flours, corn meal & salt.  working quickly, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture, occasionally stirring the butter as you go.  with your hands, rub the flours & butter together till the mixture is pebbly.  separately, whisk together egg yolk & 1/4 cup very cold water, then add to the flour mixture.  stir just till the dough comes together, adding up to 1/4 cup more water if needed.  split the dough in half, & briefly knead each ball.  pat out into 1/2 rounds, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1/2 - 1 hour.  i made the dough the night before i made the tart, allowing it to chill in the fridge overnight.  the second dough i froze, it'll keep for a week or two till i get another fun idea.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  remove the dough from the fridge, roll out onto a floured surface.  wine bottles work well as rolling pins if you are lacking.  be sure to flour both the surface and the rolling device.  you’ll want the dough a bit on the thick side, about 1/4”.  when you have the right size for your tart pan, carefully slip the dough over the pan and gently (w/out stretching) fit to your pan shape.  trim off the excess dough -i used mine for this tasty cherry tart.  prick the bottom of the pan a few times w/ a fork.  line your tart entirely w/ parchment paper and add either baking weights or some funky old beans.  this may look a bit awkward, the point being the weight will keep the tart from ‘poofing up’ during pre-baking.  don’t use the beans for cooking later, but you can save the beans for future baking use in a jar labeled ‘baking weight.’  ok already! tuck your bean filled tart into the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  remove from oven, carefully remove weights (easily done if your parchment extends beyond the sides of the pan) and return to oven for 5 minutes more before removing again and cooling completely.  while it cools, prep your...

tart filling

1 packed cup turnip greens (and/or spinach, chard), de-stemmed & chopped

1/4 cup green garlic -roughly chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

2 eggs & 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup raw goat buttermilk, milk or heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tsp mustard, dijon style

1/4 cup grated romano, or another cheese you desire

crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Either dice up your greens & garlic or place in a food processor/blender and pulse a few times to incorporate.  add salt, thyme, eggs & yolk, buttermilk, broth & mustard.  pulse or blend briefly to puree.  pour into your cooled tart pan, place in the oven and bake for thirty minutes.  at this point, add your cheese.  depending on your oven and choice of dairy, your tart will need up to 20 minutes more of baking.  the center will need to be mostly firm.  don’t let it fool you (it fooled me and i had to throw it under the broiler for a bit)!  when you are satisfied w/ your cooking time, remove from oven.  you may pass it briefly under the broiler to brown your cheese (or not).  let cool.  this tart is good warm, cold and in between.  invite some friends over and savor your hard work.