This picture doesn’t give the cheese tart much justice. It doesn’t relay the joy of oozy and luxurious cheese paired with a savory salad or the flakiness of the pastry tart. To my lactose intolerant friends out there, I’m sorry but there doesn’t seem to be any good dairy-free substitutes. But hey, the salad it was served over was very nice, that’s something you can have and I posted the vinaigrette ingredients for you. (If there is a hell, I will be reincarnated as lactose intolerant and living in France or another of the glorious cheese capitals of the world.)
Tart Crust
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) of cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
2 tbsp. cold shortening
3-5 tbsp. ice water
2 tbsp. minced fresh thyme (used after the tart dough is formed)
4 cups dried beans or uncooked rice (not an ingredient, needed for the blind baking)
In a processor: Mix the flour and salt. With the blade going, add the butter and shortening, one tablespoon at a time. Add the ice water until the dough holds together. It should look lumpy, there’ll be pea-sized bits of dough throughout. Roll into a loose ball, wrap in cling-wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 4ooF.
You can use this for a regular 9-inch pie pan, but I used 4 mini-tart pans.
Roll the dough out and separate into 4 equal balls. Roll out so there’s enough to cover the bottom and the sides of the pan evenly. Sprinkle about a 1 tsp. over the dough and use a rolling pin to flatted it in. Put into the tart pans, pressing it in so that everything covers the bottom and up the sides. Line with foil and weight it down with the dried beans or rice. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. While the pastry part is blind baking, start on the onions.
Of you could just skip this altogether and use a frozen store-bought pie crust. *coughcoughYouSuckLikeSandraLeecoughcough*
You still need to pre-bake it, using the dried beans or rice as weights.
Tart Filling
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 onions sliced into 1/8-inch thick half rounds
8 oz. goat cheese
4 oz. blue cheese
1/4 c. cream or milk
1 large egg, beaten
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and let them caramelize for 20-25 minutes.
One ingredient at a time, stir together the rest on the list. It’ll be very thick and lumpy.
Fill the pre-baked tarts with a layer of the onions, then spoon the cheese mixture on top to fill. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Cut in half and serve over a green salad with walnuts, pears and a nice vinaigrette.
Basic Vinaigrette
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. Champagne vinegar (or any wine vinegar, etc.)
2 tbsp. finely minced shallots
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
One at a time, stir together all the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
