Swiss Chard, Pear & Gruyere Tart

Sorry I skipped out on posting a St Patrick's day recipe yesterday. It's actually one of those holidays that just pass me by. I don't go for green beer and I'm not particularly fond of corned beef. The boyfriend and I went to the local diner last night and had eggs and toast. Nothing was green and it was terribly un-festive! If you feel like I really dropped the ball, here is a recipe I made a few years ago for March 17th...

Moving on to something that I am a huge fan of... Tarts! 

I love how you can throw just about anything into a tart and call it dinner. This one takes advantage of those delicious pears that are out in the markets right now. The filling is full of vegetables, making this the perfect option for a "Meatless Monday" dinner. Or an everyday meal in my world!

You'll notice that only half of my tart is topped with pears. That's because the boyfriend hates pears. I know, he's insane. In order to ensure that he ate dinner, I just ate the rest of the raw pear myself. No complaining from either side!

The flavors of this tart were amazing. It might have something to do with the copious amounts of gruyere and parmesan cheese that have been shredded over the top! Whatever the reason, I wound up eating a full quarter of the tart for dinner, then another large slice for lunch the next day.



Two Years Ago: Homemade Thin Mints
Three Years Ago: Sponge Candy Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Ham and Cheese Risotto

Swiss Chard, Pear and Gruyere Tart

Adapted from Small Plates Sweet Treats

1 refrigerated pastry Crust
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek, tough leaves removed, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups Swiss chard, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly minced nutmeg
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 medium Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Press pie crust into a tart pan (with a removable bottom). Place parchment paper over the pie dough and fill the tart with pie weights or dry beans. Bake pie crust for 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and leeks are softened.

Add Swiss chard, white wine, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and the nutmeg. Place a lid on the saute pan and cook until chard is wilted.

While chard is cooking, whisk together eggs, cornstarch, milk, coconut milk, parmesan cheese, half of the Gruyere cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

Pour Swiss chard mixture into the bottom of the tart shell.  Top with egg mixture. Place pear slices on top of everything. Gently press pears into the tart. Top with remaining Gruyere cheese.

Bake tart for 25 minutes, until top is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before un-panning and slicing into wedges.