I had been eyeing this beautiful red Swiss Chard at the Chapel market on a street vegetable vendors stall for days and today I finally managed to buy myself a bunch of these beauties.
I also purchased a gorgeous beefsteak tomato, chestnut mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, sweet baby carrots, 2 avocados,and guess what ?All this booty came at £6.50 only ,woohoo! Totally amazing right, beautiful fresh ingredients purchased from a very friendly lady from a bustling vibrant market over lunch hour – I mean what more could I ask for ?
Since it was Thanksgiving on Thursday, a treat was in order and with my beautiful vegetable bounty a vegetable tart smothered in cheese was what I would be making! I was sent a lovely french cheese to sample a few days back and it was begging to be used , perfect!
I was sent Reblochon de Savoie AOC, which is an artisanal cheese from the Haute-Savoie and Val d’Arly region. Reblochon was the first of the 46 AOC cheeses in France to receive that stamp of quality in 1958. It contains only 22% fat which makes it as light or lighter than other cooked pressed cheeses including Gruyère or Emmental. Reblochon is packaged individually by the producer, it is placed onto a thin spruce-wood board, thus regulating its moisture content and allowing it to mature.
Autumnal swiss chard which I have used in my recipe is rich in vitamins A,K and C and is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber, and protein. All parts of the chard plant contain oxalic acid. Packed with good stuff this tart is!
Cheese, Onion, Swiss Chard and Mushrooms Tart
Ingredients
- 1/2 block Cheese – I used Reblochon
- 320 Grams Ready made Puff Pastry
- 4 Medium sized Eggs
- 5 leaves Swiss Chard
- 8 Chestnut Mushrooms
- 3 stalks Spring onions
- 1 medium-sized Red Onion
- 2 tbsp heaped Chilli Honey
- 5 – 6 slices Beefsteak Tomato
- 2 small Potatoes
- 1.5 tsp Red chilli flakes
- 1.5 tsp Garlic puree
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, slice them wafer-thin
- Heat 2 tsp of olive oil on a pan and place the potato slices of the pan, brown on each side till they are really crisp
- Chop the red onion fine and cut the spring onion as fine as possible
- Roughly cut the mushrooms into chunks
- In a small saucepan add 1 tsp of olive oil , when the oil is hot add the chopped red onion & spring onions and when they begin to sweat add in the mushrooms
- Cook on a medium flame till the onions turns a nice light brown colour and add in the chilli honey
- The heat from the pan will create the perfect environment for the honey to melt just enough to coat the onion and the mushroom and impart a fabulously warming sweet and hot flavour
- Place the puff pastry on a baking tray lined with baking parchment
- Add the onion and mushroom mixture on the puff pastry
- Then add the roughly chopped swiss chard leaves, season with some sea salt
- Place the slices of beefsteak tomato on the top
- Scoop out the nutty and delicious cheese from the rind with a spoon and scatter it onto the chard and tomato slices
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and add some sea salt and red chilli powder as per taste
- Whisk the eggs with a fork till they foam so as to aerate them
- Pour the egg mixture onto the chard and tomatoes
- Pre-heat the oven to 200° C
- Place the baking tray into the pre-heated oven
- Bake the savoury tart for 35minutes, for the first 15 minutes at 150° C and then at 180° C – 200° C
- The egg and cheese mix will cook and release a beautiful aroma which will just rush through when you get the tart out of the oven
- Place the crispy potato slices on top and if you wish scatter a few chopped nuts on the top for added crunch
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I really liked the texture of the cheese and the floral, nutty and herbal flavours it imparts to this gorgeous vegetable laden tart which reflect its Alpine provenance.
Serve the tart with fruity red wines such as those made with Gamay or Pinot Noir grapes, or a lively and refreshing white such as Chasselas which complement the cheese.
*With thanks to Reblochon for sending me a sample of their delicious artisanal cheese for review. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
