Deborah Madison's Chard and Saffron Tart

Solitary weekends can be so lovely. You can sleep as late as you want, you can spend the entire day indoors with no reproach, you can have cold pancakes for breakfast, take long walks in the mist, and scheme about making totally-from-scratch Icebox Cake with a similarly food-obsessed blogger. You can wear the same ratty sweatshirt three days in a row, you can go from watching five episodes of Grey's Anatomy on one day to seeing La Grande Illusion the next, you can have a four-way Internet conversation for hours on end with your friends from Frankfurt, Boston and Los Angeles, and eat all the leftover vegetable tart you want.

Oh yes, lovely indeed.

For a girl's dinner last week, I made the Swiss chard-filled tart that Russ Parsons included in his article about Phil McGrath's sustainable farming operation near Los Angeles in early December. No other recipe has seemed as mouth-watering to me as that one in recent times. The sound of the words "yeasted", "tart", and "dough" together was enough to have me yearning for the kitchen on a daily basis. Doesn't it do the same for you?

The tart was a joy to put together - the dough was soft and pliable, the filling a snap. It took my oven 20 minutes longer than the recipe indicates to bake until it was properly cooked, so keep that in mind for your own ovens. The creme fraiche-enriched dough baked up into a marvelous crust that was crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The filling was truly crammed with greens, and got its complexity from saffron, lemon peel (go easy on the lemon, I warn you), nutmeg and Parmigiano. The tart was gorgeous to look at, with its golden-brown filling studded with browned pine nuts, and even better to eat.

But even even better than that? Eating it the next day - when the cold of the refrigerator had miraculously transformed the trembling custard into something silky and smooth, when the greens relaxed into undulating waves through each slice of tart, when I could pick up a sturdy slice and eat it at the computer, chatting with my dear friend as she showed me her pregnant belly from more than 3,000 miles away.

As for the final wedge, at lunch on Sunday I drew from the fridge a Frigoverre of leftover tomato sauce (chopped onion, a few diced carrots, one can of tomatoes, fresh oregano - my grandmother's method), warmed it up and turned the sauce into a deep soup plate. I plopped the final piece of tart onto the sauce and and as the sweet flavors of the tomato sauce warmed the earthy tart, I realized that with all the blissful cheer inside, I'd barely noticed the dark gloom outside. Which really made my day. What more could I ask for?

Chard and Saffron Tart
Serves 6 to 8

Yeasted tart dough
1 teaspoon active dry yeast ( 1/2 package)
Pinch sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
About 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons crème fraîche

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in one-fourth cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees) and set it in a warm place.

2. If the egg is cold from the refrigerator, cover it with hot water and let it sit a few minutes to bring it up to room temperature. Combine 1 cup of the flour and the salt in a bowl and make a well. Break the egg into the middle of it; add the crème fraîche and pour in the yeast mixture, which should be foamy with bubbles. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon to form a smooth, soft dough, adding more flour as necessary. Dust it with flour, gather it into a ball, set it in a clean bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place, 45 minutes to an hour. If you are not ready to shape the dough at this time, punch it down and let it rise again.

3. Flatten the dough, place it in the center of the tart pan, and press it out to the edge using either your knuckles or the heel of your hand. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. If the dough shrinks back while you are shaping it, cover it with a towel, let it relax for 20 minutes, then finish pressing it out. It should be about one-fourth inch higher than the rim of the pan. It can be filled immediately or refrigerated until needed.

Tart
1 large bunch chard, enough to make 7 cups leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/4 -inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
Large pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 recipe yeasted tart dough

1. Cut the chard leaves away from the stems and save the stems for another purpose. Chop the leaves into pieces roughly an inch square, wash them in a large bowl of water and set them aside in a colander.

2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a wide skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat; add the onion and cook it until it is translucent and soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, the chard leaves (by handfuls, if necessary, until they all fit) and the salt. Turn the leaves over repeatedly with a pair of tongs so that they are all exposed to the heat of the pan and cook until they are tender, 5 minutes or more. When the chard mixture is cooled, squeeze out any excess moisture with paper towels.

3. To make the custard, beat the eggs, then stir in the half and half, infused saffron, lemon peel, grated Parmesan, a few scrapings of nutmeg and the parsley. Stir in the chard and onion mixture. Season with more salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat until they are lightly colored, 2 minutes. Pour the filling into the tart shell and scatter the pine nuts over the surface. Bake until the top is golden and firm, about 40 minutes.

Comments

[deb]

I see we were both getting tart-y and quiche-y this weekend, and this looks divine. I have never made a yeasted tart dough, but after frustration with Julia Child's kind of greasy, thick pate brisee, I am eager to try something new.

And look! http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001370.html All-natural Nabisco wafers! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109757 An espresso/marscapone version! And of course, the original: http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/food_200412_torey.jhtml

I can't wait. :)

[s'kat]

That sounds absolutely enchanting... the weekend, and the tart!

[Homesick Texan]

Tart, schmart(which, yes, does sound perfect for these grey days)--I want to hear about your adventures with the icebox cake! We used to do a similar thing at camp when I was a kid with banana pudding and Nilla wafers.

[lindy]

Oh is this ever my kind of food. Deborah Madison is a marvel.

[Jeff]

Well...HELLO Ms. Fancy pants! Saffron, eh? I'm super jealous!

[Molly]

Wow wow wow - this looks RIGHT up my alley! It's one for the must-do list, for sure. Thank you, my friend. Wish I could have hopped over this weekend for some cold pancakes (you know how I love 'em) or a long walk. xo

[Lydia]

This sounds completely heavenly! What a wonderful treat for your girls' dinner. I relish those times with friends and love to make something rich and green-leafy, along with a salad and something gooey for dessert.....

[Marce]

It looks delicious. As soon as I let go of a few bucks and buy saffron, I´m gonna cook this tart. I love chard, particularly the stems, unlike most people, so this seems right up my alley.

By the way, I´ve just tagged you for a 6 weird food things about yourself meme. I think it might be fun if all of us food bloggers air our weirdness lol

[Tea]

This looks delish. Now that Molly has helped me get over my dislike of chard, I can't get enough of the stuff.

Sounds like a lovely weekend.

[Sandy]

Chard, eh? We grow lotsa chard so this recipe will be a must. We love saffron too. YUM!

[Tanna]

That is a knock out!!! Both the weekend and the tart!

[Anne]

I think I'd pretty much eat anything encased in a crust, but this looks especially delicious. What a great vegetarian main dish;)!

[Jessica]

This looks so wonderful... I know what I'm making this weekend (and it's only Tuesday!) You have such a knack for picking out simple, yet utterly delicious recipes!

[Leah]

Oh lord. Now I'm even MORE disappointed in the fact that my mom had an envelope full of the most allegedly fragrant saffron ever, brought home from Turkey by a friend, that happened to just disappear off the counter mere days before I went up to visit last weekend. Not that I won't try this in a heartbeat, but I know I'll secretly be imagining how even more wonderful it could have been!

[Anne]

Yum! I love Deborah Madison.

[Natalia]

I really like that yeasted dough for the tart shell. I've never had something like that before and now I must try it!

[Honeybee]

I like your description of solitary weekends, heehee. Being alone is unbeatable at times. The tart sounds fantastic, I'll try it soon (even if it'll mean that I'll have to share).

[Patricia Scarpin]

I've never baked a yeasted tart dough - I'm so curious now!

[Luisa]

Deb - those wafers look perfect. Can't wait!

S'kat - the weekend was so great I'm sort of sad it's over! I want it back...

Lisa - I promise we'll report on it just as soon as we get around to making it! In the meantime, if you want a fix, try the version at Billy's Bakery on 9th Ave in Chelsea.

Lindy - I don't have any of her cookbooks, because they've never really appealed to me, but this recipe is great.

Jeff - Jealous?

Molly - would have been lovely to have you here! And yes, I think you'd like this tart...

Lydia - there's something about women's company that makes it easier just to serve vegetables for dinner and a gooey something for dessert, I agree. Those pesky menfolk, always needing square meals.... ;)

Marce - I buy my saffron at Indian grocery stores, where it's a lot cheaper than anywhere else. Just make sure it's still Spanish saffron. Try that next time you're looking for saffron! Thanks for tagging me - I can't promise I'll get to the meme, but I'll try.

Tea - DISLIKE of chard? Oh dear me. I'm glad Molly's already shown you the light. Let this tart guide you further!

Sandy - they're great together, indeed. And lucky you that you have fresh chard at your disposal! I love the stuff.

Tanna - thank you!

Anne - it's quite perfect for vegetarians, that's true.

Jessica - well, thank you very much!

Leah - Turkish saffron? Do tell more. Sounds lovely!

Natalia & Patricia - the yeasted dough is great because it's so much lighter than a regular pastry shell. It's got great texture and that wonderful crunch to it.

Honeybee - well, sharing can be nice, too... :)

[Leah]

Luisa, I wish I could tell you! According to my mom, it was so fragrant you could smell it just standing next to the counter where the envelope was sitting. She was saving it for me for months, and then apparently just before I arrived at the house, the little envelope "disappeared." So either some little saffron gnome swiped it or it accidentally got thrown away. So no lovely Turkish saffron for me! Alas.

[aliza]

Gosh! Luisa! You gotta stop posting so many delicious sounding recipes, you make it hard to decide which one to try first! I want to try them all! This one sounds especially yummy. I think this one is going to skip ahead of the line a little *blush*

[Julie]

While this looks truly delicious the mention of the icebox cake in your opening paragraph completely distracted me. Completely! It's hard to turn your attention to a swiss chard tart when there is icebox cake on the horizon.

[Carolyn]

Just tried this yesterday, and my tart also needed about 20 minutes of extra cooking time. The pine nuts on top of the tart really give it nice, rustic look. It was great! Thanks!

[Lia]

Your gorgeous photo inspired me to make this recipe Saturday night and while I loved it, I must admit that I struggled a bit with the dough. How much of the 1/4 cup of flour did you add in after mixing the first cup and all the ingredients together?

And, on another note, what did you do with those leftover chard stems?

[Luisa]

Leah - that is too bad!

Aliza - when it rains, it pours ;)

Julie - I know. And Ben keeps bugging me now: "sooooooo.....when are you going to make that icebox cake, honeeeeeeey?"

Carolyn - so glad you liked it!

Lia - I used all of the flour called for, and maybe another spoonful? After I had stirred it all together, I picked it up and kneaded it by hand for a few seconds.

As for the chard stems, I threw them away.