Gruyere and Sage Tart

By: Irvin Lin


  • Yield: one tart (8-10 Servings)
  • Course: Appetizer


Ingredients


Crust:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons (or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably a nice fruity peppery one
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

  • 10 to 12 ounces rainbow chard, (roughly a large bundle)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • Pinch cayenne pepper, (more if you like it spicy)
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 large eggs

Directions

  1. Make the crust by combining the flours, Gruyere cheese, salt, sage, and black pepper in a medium sized bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with the dry ingredients until coated. Flatten the cubes with your fingers until all the butter has been smashed. Start rubbing and squeezing the butter together with your fingers until the ingredients start to clump together. Add the olive oil and egg to the mixture and toss with a fork until dough starts to form. The dough will seem dry and crumbly but will start to stick together as you mix it. Add one tablespoon of water to help gather the dough together. Add additional tablespoons of water until a dough forms.
  2. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rough 11-inch circle. Fit into an Anolon® Advanced 9 1/2-inch Loose Base Tart Pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch pie pan. This dough is very fragile, so don’t worry if you have to patch it together. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
  3. Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400˚F for 10 minutes. Prick the bottom of the tart crust with a fork and line it with a piece of parchment paper and pie weights, dry beans or uncooked rice. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper with the pie weights and place back in the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the crust seems dry to the touch. Remove from oven but keep oven on at the same temperature.
  4. While the crust is baking, place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cut the thick middle stem out of the chard and save it for another use (I like to chop it up and add it to soup, like a colorful celery addition). Wash the chard leaves and them dry. Place the chard in the boiling water and cook it for 2 minutes, or until the chard is tender. Drain and rinse the chard in cold water to cool. Squeeze as much water out of the chard as you can. Roughly chop the chard into 1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces. Place in a medium sized bowl.
  5. Chop the green onion into 1/4 to 1/2 inch disks and add to the bowl with the chopped chard. Add the minced garlic, sage, thyme, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg to the bowl. Toss all the ingredients together in the bowl with a large spatula (or your hands) and distribute the ingredients in the bottom of the pan evenly. Sprinkle the cheeses over the top of the chard. Add the cream and eggs together in a glass measuring cup with a spout. Beat with a fork until the eggs are incorporated with the cream and then pour the cream egg mixture over the chard evenly. Place back in the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the filling has set and starts to brown a bit on the top. Let cool for ten minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature.