An elegant recipe, an attractive choice for a brunch or light lunch. The tangy, earthy taste of goat cheese combines well with the spinach. The tart is a breeze to make and a winner with a salad. If you do not have time to make your own crust, a good quality store-bought shortcrust pastry will do the trick.
Yield: 6-8 slices
Time: 45 minutes using ready-made shortcrust pastry
Ingredients:
- savory shortcrust pastry to fit a 10-inch (24 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom – for ingredients click here
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (140 g) onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 cups (60 g) raw spinach leaves, well drained, packed and coarsely chopped
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (280 g) heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- dash of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (14 g) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 3/4 cup (170 g) soft goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
Preparation:
If you prepare your own savory shortcrust pastry let it rest in the fridge for a while – you find the recipe here. I normally use ready-made shortcrust pastry from Publix or Trader Joe’s.
Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
Roll out pastry to fit the pie dish. Cut off excessive pastry hanging over the sides. Line pastry with parchment paper and weigh it down with ceramic pastry weights or beans. Bake it for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to look light golden brown. Do not let the edges get dark as they will cook further when the filling is added. When done remove from oven and set aside. Be careful when removing baking weights, they are very hot and can burn your hands.
While the pastry shell is baking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions until they are soft about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes longer. Add drained spinach leaves and cook until wilted and almost all moisture is gone. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl whisk eggs and cream. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F/175°C.
Spread spinach-onion mix over the pre-baked shortcrust pastry. Pour egg-cream mix gently on top making sure it is equally distributed. Crumble the goat cheese evenly on top. Bake it on the middle shelf for about 20-30 minutes or until the center is slightly puffed. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean with a few crumbs attached to it when done.
It is best served slightly warm.
