The Savory Tart: A Hallmark of French Cuisine

In today’s world filled with hustle and bustle, the concept of trying to make our meals seems intimidating. Yet you find yourself scrolling Pinterest and Instagram seeing the exquisite side dishes; wondering how you can fulfill the desire to be more intentional with your own cooking skills.

Savory tarts are an excellent way to start out. Not only are they a hallmark of French cuisine, they are surprisingly simple to make! All you need is a dough base and a few ingredients in your refrigerator and a dash of confidence in the process for a side dish you’ll receive endless compliments on.

The following dough recipe has been taken from https://www.inspiredtaste.net/. The results of this recipe are buttery and flakiness perfection!

The filling has been adapted from a personal recipe. It’s been put together to fit my own personal cooking styles instead of strictly aligning it with the French flavor palette. Stay tuned for an authentic french apple tart recipe*.

Dough

1 1/4th cups all purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon of salt

1⁄2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3-5 tablespoons of ice water

Filling

5 mini portabella mushrooms

3/4th cup Swiss cheese shredded

3/4th cup gruyere cheese shredded

2 cups spinach

1 onion

3 cloves garlic minced**

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon dill

1 teaspoon basil

Splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)***

Directions

Tart Crust

Preheat your oven to 425F

Combine the flour and salt into a mixer; give it a quick mix.

Add cubed butter and mix on medium speed until the mixture is a coarse and mealy texture.

Slowly add in ice water until the dough comes together.

Flour a clean counter surface and place dough working it into a ball.

Roll it out into a circle.

Lightly grease and flour a 9inch tart pan.

Place rolled dough into the tart pan fitting it into the ridges of it. Cut off any excess dough for a neat appearance.

Refrigerate for 25 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.

Line the crust with parchment paper and place in dried beans or weights to hold the crust down during the bake time.

Place the crust into the oven for 15-17 minutes.

Filling

Using a cutting board and knife, slice mushrooms and roughly chop spinach.

Slice the onion into cubes.

Using a small frying pan, add a tablespoon of butter and preheat on medium high heat (Don’t worry about burning the pan. The liquid from the mushrooms and chopped spinach will counter the heat to prevent burning.).

Add the sliced mushrooms and chopped spinach to the pan until stirring (to prevent burning) until sauteed.

Lower stovetop temperature to medium low.

Add in diced onions and quickly grate the garlic cloves.

Add in seasonings and vinegar if using.

Combine until thoroughly mixed.

Assembly

Lower heat to 375F

In a small mixing bowl combine both the swiss and gruyere cheese into one mixture.

In a baked tart shell; sprinkle 2/3rd -3/4th of the cheese mixture into the bottom of the shell.

Add in mushroom & spinach mixture

Sprinkle the remaining cheese evening on top of the tart.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Allow the tart to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the tart pan or simply serve it warm in the pan.

Enjoy!

Notes

** If you do not have fresh garlic on hand; substitute 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.

***The vinegar is entirely optional, the purpose of it is to add a deep and richer flavor to the tart.