Breakfast

Chef Mike Mariola's Swiss Chard Tart

Swiss Chard Tart is one of the first recipes I learned as a young chef. This tart is an easy and adaptable recipe, but you have to learn a few basics, including how to make a solid butter dough. The ingredients of the tart can easily be adapted to fit the seasons. You can substitute swiss chard with spinach, add meat like sausage, or even add ingredients like specialty mushrooms or truffles. The base of the tart is a delicious blend of sour cream, eggs and heavy cream. The freshly ground nutmeg and chopped fresh herbs adds a unique twist to the filling. This is an easy recipe to assemble with kids. The dough is the trickiest part, but the rest is super simple. Sunday is a perfect day to bake one or two tarts. They make for a wonderful lunch with soup or salad. Anything that is left over makes for great snacking the rest of the day or a simple hors d’ oeuvre before dinner. - Chef Mike Mariola

How to Make

INGREDIENTS

Pate Brisee

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
8 TBS cold butter (cubed)
5-6 TBS ice cold water
2 egg yolks

Filling

1 onion chopped
2 cups swiss chard trim and choffande
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup Smith's sour cream
1/2 cup Smith's heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper and nutmeg to taste
1/4 cup fresh herbs chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Pate Brisee

Combine flour and salt on work surface. Using your fingertips work the butter with the flour until it resembles corn meal. Combine the yolks with the water and whisk. Make a well in the flour-butter mixture and add the liquid. Toss to evenly cover the dough. If the dough feels too dry, add water by the drop. Using your hand, push the section of the dough down and away against the work surface, smearing the dough to combine. Gather again and repeat once or twice more to achieve a smooth dough.
Chill 20 - 3o minutes (or overnight) before rolling.

Filling and Assembly

Cook onions slowly in the oil in a heavy saute pan until they begin to soften.
Add swiss chard and cook until soft, cool.
Beat the eggs thoroughly with the Smith's sour cream and the Smith's heavy cream.
Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg and stir into the onions chard mixture.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out pastry 1/8" thick, place on a torte pan and fold over the edges to form a dough border.
Spread the onion mixture on top and sprinkle with the herbs.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden.

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