Recently I was looking for a vegetarian entree to serve at a casual dinner party, and I decided to try a recipe featured in the New York Times' "Recipes For Health" series, a Provençal Zucchini and Swiss Chard Tart. A tart is my usual vegetarian entree of choice, and I was intrigued that the crust for this tart is a Whole Wheat Yeasted Olive Oil Pastry. I've never made a tart with a yeasted crust before.
The crust is made from yeast, water, sugar, egg, olive oil, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. It was very quick to put together in the mixer, and the dough just needs a little kneading before you let it rise for about an hour. After it's risen, you roll out the dough and put it in an oiled tart pan. I found this dough very easy to handle, and I had no problems rolling it out thin and getting it in the pan.
The filling is swiss chard, salt, onion, zucchini, garlic, thyme, rosemary, Gruyère, eggs, and pepper. There was a lot of prep time involved to blanch, shock, drain, and chop the Swiss chard, as well as chopping the onions and zucchini. But once you have your ingredients ready, it's pretty quick to cook the vegetables and mix them with the eggs and cheese. Then you just pour the filling into the crust and bake.
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This is a beautiful tart, although the crust was stuck in a few spots around the edges, so I wasn't able to release it from the pan before serving. I didn't know what to expect from the yeasted crust, but it browned perfectly and had a nice firm texture -- not as crispy as a butter crust, but still very good. The filling was mostly vegetables, bound together with a minimal amount of eggs and cheese; the zucchini was much more prominent than the Swiss chard and I loved its chunky texture.
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Because the crust recipe yields enough dough for two crusts, I had enough dough left over to make another tart. I rolled out the second crust, put it in another tart pan, and stashed it in the freezer. The following day, I used it to make a Spinach and Onion Tart. The filling is made from spinach, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, eggs, milk, Gruyère, and Parmesan.
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The spinach-onion tart had a much higher ratio of egg to vegetables than the zucchini version. The fact that it was eggier, along with fact that spinach was the most prominent ingredient, made it very reminiscent of a quiche, except that the texture was lighter. Tom preferred the spinach tart because of its classic flavor; he also thought that the zucchini was a bit overwhelming. I preferred the zucchini tart because it had more texture. Both are terrific. Either makes a wonderful vegetarian main course or side that is perfect for spring or summer.
Recipes: Whole Wheat Yeasted Olive Oil Pastry, Provençal Zucchini and Swiss Chard Tart, and Spinach and Onion Tart, by Martha Rose Shulman.
Previous Posts:
The crust is made from yeast, water, sugar, egg, olive oil, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. It was very quick to put together in the mixer, and the dough just needs a little kneading before you let it rise for about an hour. After it's risen, you roll out the dough and put it in an oiled tart pan. I found this dough very easy to handle, and I had no problems rolling it out thin and getting it in the pan.
The filling is swiss chard, salt, onion, zucchini, garlic, thyme, rosemary, Gruyère, eggs, and pepper. There was a lot of prep time involved to blanch, shock, drain, and chop the Swiss chard, as well as chopping the onions and zucchini. But once you have your ingredients ready, it's pretty quick to cook the vegetables and mix them with the eggs and cheese. Then you just pour the filling into the crust and bake.
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The tart was substantial, and it made a great main course. The herbs and seasoning were spot on. I would definitely make it again. I think the knowledge that the tart was actually quite healthy enhanced my enjoyment of eating it.
Because the crust recipe yields enough dough for two crusts, I had enough dough left over to make another tart. I rolled out the second crust, put it in another tart pan, and stashed it in the freezer. The following day, I used it to make a Spinach and Onion Tart. The filling is made from spinach, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, eggs, milk, Gruyère, and Parmesan.
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Recipes: Whole Wheat Yeasted Olive Oil Pastry, Provençal Zucchini and Swiss Chard Tart, and Spinach and Onion Tart, by Martha Rose Shulman.
Previous Posts:
- "It Tastes Like Summer!: Tomato Confit and Marinated Tomatoes Served on a Crispy Tart," June 30, 2011.
- "Thank God for Vegetarians: Tomato and Onion Tart," November 14, 2010.
- "What I Learned at the Cabin This Year... Butternut Squash Tart = Good. Candles + Soufflé = Bad," November 9, 2009.
- "Vegetarian Quiche and Not-So-Vegetarian Panna Cotta," April 15, 2009.
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