On the cover of Bon Appetit‘s February 2015 issue is a picture of a gorgeous savory tart (Caramelized Garlic, Spinach, and Cheddar Tart) with a perfectly braided edge on the crust. You can actually picture yourself in front of a warm fire on a cold winter evening, enjoying a slice while sipping a glass of red wine. On the other hand, it looks fussy. I decided that I would never make the tart, however the magazine sat on my coffee table for three weeks and each time I walked by, it looked as if the tart was smiling at me.
Mid-February my family and I went away on vacation and when I entered the hotel room, there on the dresser was the February issue of Bon Appetit. The tart was stalking me. After six blissful days of 80+ degree weather, we were checking out of our room and my husband handed me the February issue of Bon Appetit in case I wanted to read it on the plane. I took the magazine but didn’t read it.
We arrived home to 9 degree weather. I unpacked and started going through the mountain high pile of magazines, junk mail and bills on my kitchen counter. I picked up a Pottery Barn catalog and beneath it, smiling up at me and looking quite smug was THAT DAMN TART. Somehow it had relocated itself from the coffee table to my pile in the kitchen. Thanks to my husband (they always get blamed), I now had two issues of the magazine (and therefore two pictures of the tart), as if one hadn’t already been enough.
It is now mid-March and I finally decided to make THAT DAMN TART. Much to my surprise, it turned out to be just as gorgeous as Bon Appetit’s (minus the braided edge). It is delicious and a true indulgence. The caramelized garlic makes the whole dish worthwhile – it’s like garlic candy and alone would be great to serve with a bread and cheese platter.
I followed my modus operandi: when trying a recipe for the first time, follow it verbatim (with some exceptions). I do this because I want to know how the author/chef intended the end result to look and taste. However, I found the custard to be quite rich and creamy (almost to a fault).
This is what I will do differently next time:
- Unless it’s a super special occasion, don’t make the pie shell from scratch. I wholeheartedly agree that tarts, quiches and pies look so much better when presented in a pretty dish with a homemade pie shell (and not in the cheap flimsy aluminum one), but the star of this dish is the caramelized garlic. Instead, use a ready-made pie shell from your grocer’s freezer and save yourself a lot of time. If you are inclined to make your own pie shell, Smitten Kitchen has a good one which I used for this presentation. (I’ve included it at the end of the recipe below.)
- Substitute large chunks of goat cheese for the white cheddar. I couldn’t taste the cheddar and it didn’t round out the flavor of the caramelized garlic.
- Use 1 1/4 cups whole milk and one additional egg instead of heavy cream and crème fraîche. I think taking out a lot of the richness will result in a more quiche-like consistency.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 people | 25 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 40 minutes |
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As with many dishes, especially quiches and tarts, this tastes better Day 2, after it has "set up" and the flavors have melded together.
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- 1 prepared, ready-made pie shell (or use your favorite recipe from scratch)
- 2 heads garlic cloves peeled
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon rosemary fresh, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme fresh, chopped
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (6 ounces) white cheddar cheese grated, or crumbled goat cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 3/4 cup crème fraîche
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 5 eggs
- Cook garlic in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until to begins to soften, 3-5 minutes; drain.
- Dry saucepan and heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add garlic, stirring occasionally, until cloves start to turn golden brown, 2-5 minutes.
- Add balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is tender, 10–12 minutes.
- Add maple syrup, rosemary, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and coats garlic, about 10 minutes.
- Scatter cheese over crust; top with spinach. Whisk the custard ingredients together; season with salt and pepper. Pour over spinach. Add garlic and any remaining sauce.
- Bake until custard is set and golden brown in spots, 40-45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Adapted from Bon Appetit's Caramelized Garlic, Spinach, and Cheddar Tart, February 2015
In the presentation above, I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe for homemade pie shell (2/19/10):
A Great Savory Tart Shell
Adapted from Le Pain Quotidien
This doesn’t need par-baking to keep from getting soggy and barely shrinks in the oven. Sold!
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 egg
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely. (Dough can also be made in a food processor, or as the original recipe suggests, in a stand mixer, though I have not tested in in the latter.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.
