I have been dying to fix a goat cheese tart for the longest time but we are such carnivores in our family that I always have to make a special effort to prepare an all vegetarian meal that it has thus far been pushed to the back burner.
So when our friend, Saurin from Chicago was scheduled to come over for a few days, the moment was ripe. Not only is he a strict vegetarian and also an avid foodie which meant not only was this an opportunity to hone my all vegetarian cooking skills but I can actually make something with goat cheese for someone that wasn't going to turn his nose up at it!
It has been my experience that food & people broadly fall in these categories -
1) There are those who would rather starve than be willing to try something outside their realm of comfort.
2) And others who would whine & fuss and pick on their food because they dislike this or hate throughout a meal - picky, picky, picky ( for me such people are like nails on a chalkboard!)
3) And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are others for whom 'anything goes so a bowl of 'stone soup' would suffice as long as they are fed 3 times a day!
But here, here was a golden opportunity - here was someone who would not be afraid to walk into the exciting world of goat cheese (or so I fervently hoped as his plane hit the runway!)
Later that evening, when he asked me what's for dinner & I replied, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese & Walnut tart & his expression turned joyous, close to rapture, I knew that here - here was someone who was no longer 'people'!
The recipe requires 1 recipe pre-baked 'No fear, No fail' Pate Brisee - Quiche tart shell . I urge you to read the post here so you get the tips & tricks to bake a successful tart shell.
Other than that the main ingredients for the filling are these - goat cheese, walnuts, red onions, salt, pepper, eggs, egg yolks, milk, sour cream & chives.
Preheat oven to 475 deg F (not a typo)
Begin by peeling & slicing the red onion, into semi-circular 1/8" thick slices.
In a saute pan, heat the butter till it has melted. Add the onions and salt & saute on medium heat for 5 minutes or until it has just begun to soften.
Lower the heat & cover with a tight lid to steam the onions for about 20 minutes. Keep stirring the onions regularly to prevent from un-uniform & quick browning.
Cook's Note - If during this process the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan & caramelize, add 1 tbs of water. Stir and cover the pan, repeating the process if necessary.
Once the onions are caramelized a light brown, remove from the heat. Cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs & egg yolk. Add milk & whisk to blend. Add goat cheese (room temperature) and sour cream, salt & pepper and whisk. If you are finding it hard to blend, use a hand held electric mixer for a few seconds.
Chop chives to achieve about 1 tbs & add to the filling mix. Stir. Measure & set aside chopped walnuts.
Spread the onion on the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the filling mixture in the tart shell over the onions. Top with walnuts, spreading evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. And when it pops out of the oven you get this!
Set aside to cool for 10 minutes before un-molding tart or slicing.
The quiche with its buttery flaky crust melts in your mouth as you bite into it.
The sweetness of the caramelized onions balance well with the flavor of the goat cheese and the walnuts gives it just the right occasional crunch. The chives with its slight garlicky-onion flavors blends right in. It was just a lovely meal and thoroughly enjoyed by us all.
And 30 minutes later....
Ta..daa...
Need I say more?
Recipe for
CARAMELIZED ONION, GOAT CHEESE & WALNUT QUICHE
Preparation & baking time for quiche shell- 30 minutes (prepare in advance)
Preparation time for filling - 30 minutes
Baking time for Quiche - 20 minutes
You will need -
1# Pate Brisee - Quiche tart shell
3 medium red onions
2 tbs butter
6 oz goat cheese
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup walnut pieces
12 stalks chives
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Eggs - Crack 2 eggs in a bowl. Discard shells & whip. Separate 1 egg & add yolk only to the other 2 eggs.
Chives - Chop fine
Red Onions - Begin by peeling & slicing the red onion, into semi-circular 1/8" thick slices.
Cooking method -
Preheat
oven to 475 deg F .
In a saute pan, heat the butter till it has melted. Add the onions and salt & saute on medium heat for 5 minutes or until it has just begun to soften.
Lower the heat & cover with a tight lid to steam the onions for about 20 minutes. Keep stirring the onions regularly to prevent from un-uniform & quick browning.
Cook's Note - If during
this process the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan &
caramelize, add 1 tbs of water. Stir and cover the pan, repeating the
process if necessary.
Once the onions
are caramelized a light brown remove from the heat. Cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs & egg yolk. Add milk & whisk to blend. Add goat cheese (room temperature) and sour cream, salt & pepper and whisk. If you are finding it hard to blend, use a hand held electric mixer for a few seconds.
Chop chives to achieve about 1 tbs & add to the filling mix. Stir. Measure & set aside chopped walnuts.
Spread the onion on the bottom
of the pre-baked and cooled tart shell.
Pour the filling mixture in the tart shell over the
onions.
Top with walnuts, spreading evenly. Bake in preheated oven for
20 minutes.
Set aside to cool for 10 minutes before un-molding tart or slicing.
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