Potato and Onion Tart

Tags

cheese, food, onion, potato, side dish, tart, thyme, vegetarian

The best part about this tart is the browned, crunchy crust of cheese and onion. It is so flavorful! I love this new dish and can’t wait to make it again. I think that you could use a ton of different cheese combinations to increase your flavor power. Or make it a complete dish by adding leftover roast and blue cheese. MMMM!!

Potato and Onion Tart

• 2 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 pound red potatoes, skin left on and very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and saute the thyme and onion for 5 minutes. In a bowl, toss the potatoes, cheeses, salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the onions. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through and fork tender.

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Perfectly Tart Lemon Bars

Tags

citrus, dessert, lemon, shortbread, Southern, sugar, summer, tart

I am desperate for a bit of summer. The warmth soaking into your bones. The fresh produce. The smell of freshly mowed lawns. The cheeping of happy birds. The bright colors of newly bloomed flowers. Even though Punxsutawney Phil predicts the quick arrival of spring, it seems so far away.

Lemon bars with their dusting of powdered sugar are served regularly at summer picnics, church homecomings, and backyard barbecues. If I can’t have the warmth and outdoor fun, I guess I’ll just have to settle for the flavors.

Perfectly Tart Lemon Bars (from Baking Bites)
The Shortbread Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

The Filling:

• 4 large eggs
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×9-inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into small chunks and add into the flour using a fork, mixer, or food processor (which I used). A dough ball will form. Be sure the butter is mixed into the flour well then press into the pan in an even layer. Bake for 18 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned around the edges.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, sugar, and lemon juice. Remove a few tablespoons of the mixture to whisk into the flour. When it is smooth, add to the rest of the filling, whisking to combine. Very gently pour the filling into the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is set. Cool completely before you cut the bars. Top with confectioners sugar. 

 

She’s My Cherry Pie!

Tags

cherry, dessert, pastry, pie, tart

She’s my cherry pie,
Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise.
Tastes so good, make a grown man cry,
Sweet cherry pie.

Cherry Pie

• 2 cups sour pie cherries, pitted and with their own juice
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 pie crusts

In a saucepan, heat cherries and sugar until sugar is melted. Remove 3 tbsp of cherry juice and whisk into it the all purpose flour, being sure to get out all the lumps. Stir the flour/juice mixture back into the cherries and heat until the filling starts to thicken.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a glass pie plate, place the first layer of crust. Pur pie filling into the crust. Top with second crust in desired fashion. I did a lattice but if you dont want to take that time, you could just cut a small design (this allows the steam to escape). Wrap a thin edge of foil over the pie crust edges and place into oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil from edges and place back in oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned. When you remove the pie, be careful because sloshing pie filling onto your skin would result in a killer burn. Allow to cool some before serving with ice cream or enjoy in it’s simplicity.

Lemon Tart with Rosemary Crust

Tags

dessert, food, lemon, rosemary, summer, tart

Yesterday the hubby and I went to an awesome Derby Day/Cinco De Mayo/Retirement Party at a friends house. Plenty of good food, enjoyable company, and lots of laughs. I love afternoons spent with friends!

The hostess requested I bring something sweet. I didn’t want to do something traditional like cookies, brownies, etc. Not enough pizzazz for such a momentous party. Plus, some of my foodie friends were there. Can’t let them down. And I needed a nice post to follow up my Derby themed food week.

This little tart is divine. Just enough sweet but still plenty of tart lemon flavor. And the rosemary adds a special feel to it. This is perfect for a summer picnic, BBQ, or even a baby shower. It was easy to make and was a big hit at the party.

Lemon Tart with Rosemary Crust

Filling: (from Happy Yolks)

• 1 cup plain, full fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Crust: (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon frozen butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary

In a food processor, add flour, sugar, rosemary and salt. Pulse to mix. Add in the butter, blending until there are no more chunks of butter. Add the egg and pulse until the flour mixture becomes dough like. On a floured surface, turn out the dough and kneed until the dry dough bits are mixed in.  Press into a tart pan or a glass pie plate. Freeze crust for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.

In a bowl whisk together the yogurt and the sugar. Add in the lemon juice and zest. Add the eggs. Mix well. Pour into cooled tart shell. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes on 375 degrees or until center is set. Refrigerate for an hour or until cold. (You could also make this in advance if needed).

 

Bacon Cheddar Scallion Breakfast Tart with Grits Crust

Tags

bacon, brunch, Dinner, food, grits, scallion, Southern, Supper, tart

This afternoon I was trying to figure out just what I was going to cook for dinner. I couldn’t think of anything so I perused my previous wordpress post “Likes” and saw this gorgeous tart, originally posted by Fifteen Spatulas. Please don’t be put off by the fact that my photos are not that fantastic (her photos are much better than mine) but the flavor was stupendous. There is only the hubby and I; a whole pie plate of food is may seem excessive but I am so glad that there are leftovers!

Bacon Cheddar Scallion Breakfast Tart with Grits Crust

• 1 1/2 cups yellow grits (NOT INSTANT!!!)
• 2 cups cold water
• 6 eggs
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 scallions, diced
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease an 11 inch tart shell or a glass pie plate (I don’t have a tart pan) with butter or oil. In a saucepan, bring the yellow grits and water to a boil, then cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (you will need a lot of salt).  Spread the grits evenly out into the pan.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Take the tart out of the oven and let it cool slightly, and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Whisk to combine the eggs, bacon, scallions, mascarpone, and cheddar cheese.  Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and pour the mixture into the grits tart shell.

Fifteen Spatulas said to bake the tart for 15 minutes until the top is browned. My pie was no where near being done at that time. I covered it with foil and baked it another 15 minutes until the center was set.