131. PROVENCAL TART with BACON, HAM, and YOUNG GREENS

serves four


FOR THE PASTRY
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons chilled margarine, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE FILLING
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 cups coarsely chopped mixed baby spinach, dandelion, escarole, radicchio, lettuces, chervil, and flat-leaf parsley, in any combination
1 tablespoon minced fresh chervil
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cups water
1/2 lb. thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
¼ cup crème fraiche or sour cream
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded Swiss cheese
¼ lb. thinly sliced ham, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon chopped mixed fresh chervil and flat-leaf parsley for garnish


To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Cut in the butter and margarine with a pastry blender or two knives until pea-sized balls from. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, turning the dough with a fork and then with your fingertips. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a round about 9 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and rest it over an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Unwrap the dough and press it gently into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the dough to within ½ inch of the edge of the pan, then fold it under the rim and press with the tips of your fingers to make a decorative edge on the crust. Line the tart shell with aluminum foil. Add a layer of pastry weights or dried beans.

Bake the crust until it barely colors, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift out the weights and foil. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork to allow steam to escape. Return the pastry shell to the oven and bake until slightly firm but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a rack before filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

To make the filling, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. When it foams, add the mixed greens, chervil, and the minced parsley and cook, stirring, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

In a bowl, beat together the whole eggs, all but 1 teaspoon of the egg yolks, the crème fraiche or sour cream, the ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and the 1/3 cup Swiss cheese. Stir in the cooked greens and herbs, the bacon, ham, salt, and pepper.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared pastry shell. Cut the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small bits and use to dot the top. Strew the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan and 2 tablespoons Swiss cheese over the top. Stir the 1 teaspoon water into the reserved 1 teaspoon egg yolk and, using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the tart.

Bake until the edges are golden brown and the filling is firm and cooked through, about 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and garnish with the chopped mixed chervil and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.


courtesy of: The Mediterranean Herb Cookbook: Fresh and Savory Recipes from the Mediterranean Garden, by Georgeanne Brennan. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000, pp. 80-81