Author Notes
The jumping off point for this tart is my favorite fennel soup from The Barefoot Contessa. In usual Ina fashion, this tart includes plenty of butter, alcohol and Gruyere. The cheese is built into the crust, so you are sure to get some in every bite. - starting in december —starting in december
Test Kitchen Notes
Starting in december packs flavor in every bite of this galette by adding sour cream, lemon, and gruyere to the crust (really the opposite of what you would expect in a quiche, where the cheese is only in the filling). Here the filling includes a clean, boozy medley of brandy, wine, sherry, and Pernod to complement the fennel and onion. And, by painting the crust with egg yolk, this thoughtful, scrumptious galette comes out with a golden finish. I highly recommend it for an Editors' Pick. - Sagegreen —Sagegreen
Ingredients
- For the tart crust
-
1-1/4 cups
all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon
Kosher salt
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8 tablespoons
unsalted butter, cold
-
3 ounces
Gruyere, grated
-
1/4 cup
sour cream
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2 teaspoons
fresh lemon juice
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1/4 cup
ice water
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1
egg yolk, for egg wash
- For the filling
-
2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
-
1
large fennel bulb, core and tops removed, thinly sliced
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large yellow onion, thinly sliced
-
1 teaspoon
fresh thyme leaves removed from the stem
-
1 teaspoon
brandy
-
2 teaspoons
dry sherry
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2 teaspoons
dry white wine
-
1 teaspoon
Pernod
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salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
-
To make the crust dough, add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 3 times to combine. Add the cubed butter and grated cheese to the bowl and pulse until the size of the butter resembles small peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse several times until the dough starts to hold together when pinched between your fingers. The dough may seem dry.
-
Lightly sprinkle flour on the counter and dump out the dough. Using a bench scraper, push the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle. Using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from yourself. Once you have pushed out all of the dough, repeat the process. After the second round of pushing out, use the bench scraper to form a 4-inch thick round. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
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In a very large sauté pan (12-inches) melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the fennel, stir to coat with the melted butter and sauté for 10 minutes. Add the onions and thyme and sautè for 25 minutes to an hour, until the onions and fennel are very tender and caramelized. Pour in the brandy, sherry and wine and deglaze the pan by scraping the brown bits off the bottom. When the fennel and onions are fully cooked, add the Pernod and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a piece of floured parchment paper until it is about 12-inches in diameter. Put the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.
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Take the dough out from the refrigerator. Mound the fennel-onion mixture in the middle of the dough, leaving a 2-1/2-inch border. Break off some of the fennel fronds and sprinkle over the top of the filling. Fold up the outer 2-inches of the dough over the filling, leaving 1/2-inch inside the fold free of filling. Brush the dough with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the middle of the filling is hot to the touch and lightly browned. Cool the tart on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and let the tart continue to cool on the rack for at least another 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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