This turnip and chard tart variation uses two of the most common items from spring and later summer markets. It is one of my favorite vegetable tarts. The perfect savory tart dough is the base of this excellent light dish. Feel free to make the tart ahead of time. Frankly, It is better at room temperature.
Notes on Ingredients
Crème Fraiche
In this classic savory tart, the crème fraiche (or plain creme, if you don’t have crème Fraiche handy) and egg meld well into the turnips. Additionally, in this recipe roasting the turnips first caramelizes the sugars to make them milder.
Turnips
Any kind of turnip will work for this recipe. I enjoy summer Hakurei Turnips. Rutabagas also work. In this recipe, roasting the turnips first caramelizes the sugars to make them more palatable.
Chard
I prefer rainbow chard. The color in the stems makes for a more attractive tart.
Mustard
This is important. Although only 2 tablespoons are used, it is very important. Use a strong Dijon mustard to give a “pop” to the filling.
Notes on Techniques
Moisture
The turnips and chard in the tart can give off a good deal of extracted moisture. As discussed in the recipe, I believe the turnips benefit from sitting with a bit of olive oil and salt to allow some of the moisture to drain.
Additionally, drain and blot the chard well after blanching.
Timing
This tart takes a bit of time to make. Conveniently, the tart steps can be performed in advance. The tart dough itself can be made a day or two ahead and left to cool in the refrigerator. You can even make it many days ahead (or a month) and freeze. Before using just give it 24 hours in the refrigerator to thaw.
Related Posts
Turnip Chard Tart
The best of summer markets.
Ingredients
- 1 Perfect Savory Tart Dough (9 inch)
- 3 Medium size turnips
- 1 bunch chard (rainbow if available), stems trimmed and roughly chopped, saving some of the thinner stems for color
- 3 large eggs
- 5 tbsp crème fraiche or heavy creme
- 2 tbsp Dijon country style mustard
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Peel and trim the turnips as needed. Cut the turnips into relatively thick slices (approximately ¾"). Put the turnips in a bowl and splash them with olive oil and salt. Allow the turnips to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow them to release moisture.
- Place a lightly oiled roasting pan in the oven for about 5 minutes to get hot. Place the turnips on the pan to roast. Allow to roast on one side for about 10 minutes or until a nice light crust is formed. Turn and roast the reverse side for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Discard any released water in the roasting pan.
- Reduce the oven to 375°F (180°C).
- Roll out the Tart Shell Dough and place it into a 9" (23cm) tart pan. Gently work the dough into the corners, being careful not to stretch the dough. Carefully push into the edges. Trim excess dough from edges and save for another use. Prick the dough with a fork a few times to prevent the dough from bubbling when baking. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights.
- Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove the paper and the weights, then bake for another 15 minutes or so. You want the bottom partially cooked, but you do not want the crust completely done yet. Remove from oven to cool slightly. (Note: this can be done ahead and sit for an hour or so if needed.)
- While the tart shell is cooking, blanch the chard quickly for two minutes in boiling salted water. Remove and drain well and immediately place in ice water. Quickly cool and drain well again. Blot dry. (Note: If you want to use some of the softer stems for texture and color, add them to the boiling water first and cook them for about 2 - minutes before adding the greens.)
- After the shell has cooled arrange the turnips on the shell. Spread the chard around the turnips.
- Add the egg, mustard, and cream in a medium bowl and mix well. Salt and pepper as needed. Pour all of the mixture slowly into the tart, filling all spaces.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, the filling should puff slightly with some nice browning on top. The crust should be crispy. Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 437Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 857mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 10g
