Recipe

Romanesco, Leek, Bay, and Chevre tart

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Photo by yummy supper

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Late Winter Tart (Sweet or Savory)
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yummy supper's Notes: Every time I see romanesco at the market I am magnetically drawn to its otherworldly chartreuse beauty. It turns out that this odd veggie is actually quite versatile, and can be used in many...
Every time I see romanesco at the market I am magnetically drawn to its otherworldly chartreuse beauty. It turns out that this odd veggie is actually quite versatile, and can be used in many recipes as a substitute for broccoli or cauliflower. A tart, combining romanesco with leeks, bay and chevre is a lovely way to mark the end of winter and the emergence of the green of spring.

All year round, I love making tarts, both savory and sweet. My kitchen is gluten-free by necessity and I am in love with this David Tanis inspired crust that I have adapted to be wheat free. There is nothing "dietetic" about this flaky tart dough - it is loaded with butter and makes for a tart that even makes wheat-lovers smile.

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Serves 4

Tart filling:

3 1/2 cups leeks, sliced thin Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups romanesco, cut into small florets Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1 dried bay leaf Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups chevre Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup Parmesan, grated Ask a question about this ingredient

salt and pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

use your favorite buttery tart dough or for a gluten free option that is delectable try the flaky tart dough recipe below... Ask a question about this ingredient

Preheat oven to 350.
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Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add leeks and stew for a few minutes, until they are just beginning to soften. Add a splash or two of water (to avoid browning leeks), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf. Continue to gently cook, covered, until leeks are cooked. Set aside.
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Toss romanesco florets with olive oil and salt to lightly coat. Roast in 350 oven until tender, but not too soft. Remove romanesco from oven.
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Turn up oven to 375.
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Roll out chilled pastry dough and fit dough into a lightly greased tart pan with removable bottom. Sprinkle bottom of tart shell with Parmesan cheese. Then add the leeks and romanesco. Dot top of the tart with dollops of chevre. Bake assembled tart in 375 oven for 40-50 minutes. Crust should be golden brown.
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Serve and enjoy!
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Flaky Tart Dough ( Gluten Free):

2 cups Pamela's bread mix and flour blend Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cold egg beaten, plus enough ice water to make 1/2 cup liquid Ask a question about this ingredient

Combine flour and butter in a large bowl. Use fingertips or pastry cutter to integrate until nice and crumbly, while still leaving larger pieces of butter to insure a flaky texture. Pour in egg/ice water mixture and knead dough for a minute or two until it comes together. It should be soft, a little sticky, and rough-looking.
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Split dough into two rounds, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. When ready to use, roll out one ball of dough. Because I am a novice baker, I always use 2 pieces of parchment to roll out dough - this prevents sticking. (If the dough gets too sticky to handle at any point, just put it back in the fridge or freezer and it will firm up again. I did this after I rolled out the crust, but before I put it in the pan.)
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This recipe makes enough dough for 2 tarts - so only use 1/2 of the recipe for each tart. Try filling the other half with whatever you happen to have on hand -even some sliced apples topped with cinnamon and sugar can make a quick improvised tart.
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9 Comments on Romanesco, Leek, Bay, and Chevre tart

Pombachi added 3 months ago

I made this in cupcake-sized mini-tarts...absolutely delicious, thank you for this recipe.

market day canele added about 1 year ago

Tasty photo's YS. I appreciate the inspiration I'm drawing from your blog!

http://phillymarketcafe.blogspot.com/2011/04/spinach-tart.html

yummy supper added about 1 year ago

Great post - your photo made me so hungry! Talk about inspiration:)
-E

market day canele added about 1 year ago

Romanesco doesn't show up in our winter markets. But in the Autumn we love to pair it up with a spatchcocked chicken. Also for the savory tart crust we like leaf lard butter combo.

Did you post a pic of the finished product somewhere?

http://phillymarketcafe.blogspot.com/search?q=romanesco

yummy supper added about 1 year ago

Hey market day canele,
Romanesco wuth spatchcocked chicken sounds delish! And I am with you on the leaf lard/butter combo - yum.
I do have some photos of the final tart on my blog...
http://yummysupper.blogspot.com/2010/02/winter-vegetable-tart.html
Cheers,
E

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

I am also in awe of romanesco - first had it in my CSA box about a year ago (crossing my fingers that it will turn up again!). Your tart sounds amazing and I LOVE that it is gluten free. I am going to try this really soon. Gorgeous photo too.

yummy supper added about 1 year ago

Gingerroot - isn't romanesco gorgeous! I hope you find it in your box again. Let me know what you think of the GF crust.... I love that there is almond flour in Pamela's blend:)
Cheers!