Thursday, September 17, 2009

I Heart Savory Tarts!





I must have suffered some sort of carbohydrate-related trauma as a child.  Did an evil babysitter wrap me up in a puff pastry and stick me in the oven? Was I left in the woods with only bread crumbs to guide me home? Or perhaps I was frightened by the premature exploding of a can of Pillsbury breakfast rolls. I can't really say for sure.

But I do know that after years of shying away from working with dough - "I'll mess it up! I'll ruin it!" was my panicked refrain -  I have suddenly - and incurably - become absolutely tart-y for making savory tarts.
My epiphany? The beautiful dishes at Citron & Vanille, the blog of a personal chef who makes flavorful, healthy, aspirational  food with really huge eye-appeal. Her salmon tart recipe whetted my appetite to such a degree that I finally decided I had to just get over myself and deal with some dough. So I went out and bought a tart pan and flour.  I am so glad I did!

The funny thing is, even though I was incredibly nervous that I was going to screw up the tart crust and make a big mess, it was really fun to make and not nearly as intimidating or difficult as I had imagined it would be. Citron & Vanille's  recipe combines wheat, unbleached white, and spelt flours, which gives it a lovely nutty flavor, and also calls for the incorporation of red pepper flakes, black sesame seeds, (which I didn't have in my pantry, unfortunately)  and dried herbs into the tart crust. This has the effect of creating surprising, subtle bursts of flavor that you don't expect from a crust - one minute there's a little zing-y spice, and the next you've got a slight hit of thyme.

In any case, check out her recipe and follow it to the letter, as I did , and your tart crust will come out perfectly. For the filling of my first tart, I layered sauteed onions, followed by Swiss chard that had been sauteed in garlic and olive oil (and had all the extra liquid subsequently squeezed out) then dill and chives. As called for in the original recipe, I whisked together 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup milk and two eggs, and poured it over the lot. I popped it in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, and out came a succulent disc of herby green goodness. I served mine with a tomato, red onion, and Manchego cheese salad with olive oil and just a hint of balsamic vinegar.


This was so much fun to make and turned out so well  that I decided to try my hand at a dish mentioned, but not described in detail,  in the salmon tart post - a classic French tuna and tomato tart (pictured at top).  I put down a layer of sauteed onions to start; I don't know if this is done in the classic version, but I thought it worked. Next, I drained two cans of oil-packed tuna and lightly tossed that with a bit of strong Dijon mustard. This went on top of the onions, followed by sliced tomatoes, which I had salted and placed in paper towels for about an hour to remove the excess moisture. I topped the whole thing off with some chopped chives and the egg/cream/milk mixture.

This was my favorite dish I've made (or eaten!) for a long time. When Poppa Trix took the first bite, he said, "Mmmm, it tastes so ... French."  That sounds odd, but it's true - there was really something magical about the coming together of these few simple ingredients.  I wish I could take all the credit. But really, having such a wonderful new dish in my repertoire  - not to mention the eradication of my dough-phobia - is all thanks to Citron & Vanille!





19 comments:

  1. I love savory tarts too....and just recently did an artichoke, gruyere cheese and carmelized onions tart topped with sliced tomatoes...fantastic!
    Your two tarts are gorgeous, and I'd love to have a nice big slice of each right now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to try that artichoke and gruyere cheese tart - that is going on my list!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the flavors of both tarts! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It looks beautiful. I don't have a tart pan. I think I need one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well you did a great job, and both tarts look splendid and very appetizing. They're very versatile and always appreciated among my friends. I am glad you tried them, because they're very easy to make and home made crust is much better tahn store one (in France we have a lot of different crusts already made). Thanks Tracey! You deserve the credit, you made them and they look perfect with right thickness :o) I hate tartes or quiches that are thin.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i adore the way you write and great job on the quiches

    ReplyDelete
  7. I also love French-type savoury tarts, they're delicious and I make them almost every time I have guests coming.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your tart looks perfect. I think you'll be making more savory tarts now. I think it's my turn make them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks gorgeous! I adore savory tarts as well!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks all! You know, this is really a lesson in having the right equipment, I think - non-stick tart pan + non stick spray = it's probably gonna come out okay.

    ReplyDelete
  11. yum. tart crusts are usually so much more forgiving than a traditional pastry crust. now i want to go home and make one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tarts looks yumm! I would prefer a savory tart to a sweet one too. I must try one myself soon.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great job! I so know what you mean by shying away from all things made with dough... I made homemade pizza dough the other day, and it actually worked out. So I may just try a tart next time! You never know... ;)

    Again, awesome job, and I'm glad you made one of Citron & Vanille's amazing dishes... Her recipes are amazing and always sooo beautiful...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very nice looking. What size tart pan are you using? 9 or 11 inch?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful AND inspiring! (I, too, am frightened of all that is doughy ... perhaps an internal defense mechanism?) Your post is timely; I just a few nights ago enjoyed a wonderful caramelized onion, roasted red pepper, and goat cheese tart at a lovely French restaurant in DC. And now your post ... must be in the air! Almost makes me brave ...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks, kids! Tina Marie: Good question. It's a 9 inch tart pan.
    Kimberly - be brave!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh this looks like a delicious tart!

    Thanks for the helpful suggestions - I'll definitely be using them!

    ReplyDelete