Spinach, Ham and Tomato Savory Tart

Spinach, Ham and Tomato Savory Tart

                         

 

This recipe is great for the mornings when cereal just won’t cut it. A tart also known as a quiche is a great way to start your morning with a portion of protein and veggies. I recommend making your dough ahead of time so that all you have to do is throw the ingredients together and pop it in the oven.

What you will need for the dough

1 ½cups flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 stick of cold unsalted butter

1 egg

1 egg yolk

          In a food processor, combine your flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well with the metal blade adapter. Next, add the butter and pulse about 20 times. Add the egg and egg yolk, and then mix until the dough begins to form a ball. Once your dough is ready, roll it out to about ½ inch thick and line your pie pan.

                                

 

 

What you will need for the filling

1 tomato (chopped however you prefer)

4 ounces of ham

About two handfuls of chopped fresh spinach leaves

½ cup Milk

½ cup heavy whipping cream

4 large eggs

 

 

 

                                    

          Once you have lined you pan with your crust, add your ham, tomato and spinach to the crust. Whisk milk, cream and eggs together in a bowl and then pour over crust. Season your tart with salt, and fresh ground pepper.

Bake on lowest rack in oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Crust should be golden brown.

 

Blueberry Crumble Pie

 

Blueberry Crumble Pie

This dish is the perfect way to get into the blueberry season. In the Pacific Northwest, our Blueberry harvest can start as early as May, but you usually start getting the really sweet plump berries a little further into June. While this dish absolutely can be made with frozen berries, I recommend using fresh ones.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Crust

1 ½ cup flour (for gluten free, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF flour blend)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ stick of butter (for dough, always use cold butter)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

 

 

 

Filling

3 packages of fresh blueberries (about 6 cups)

½ cup granulated sugar (most recipes call for ¾ cup, I find that this is sweet enough that it is ok to reduce it)

4 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp cold butter

Crumble Topping

1 &¼ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup light brown sugar

1 stick of butter (melted)

 

Preparing your crust;

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse about 5 times to insure that all ingredients are mixed.

Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until butter is mixed in well with dry ingredients.

Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until the dough begins to form a ball. (Have patience, it may take a minute.)

Next, take your dough and place it onto a well-floured surface. You want to roll it out until it is about a ½ inch thick.

 

Preparing your crumble topping;

For this, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix well.

Next, stir your brown sugar into the melted butter, and then add to your dry ingredients bowl.

                                                         

 

 

Preparing your filling;

In a saucepan over low heat, add half of your blueberries. For this you will need to stir often to ‘bruise’ the berries. This will help them to release their juices.

Next, add your sugar and keep stirring! This will take about 10 minutes but eventually the blueberry juices will dissolve the sugar and the mixture will come to a boil.

While the blueberries are heating up, mix your cornstarch and your water together, after the blueberry mixture comes to a boil, add your cornstarch mixture and stir well.

After the cornstarch and water are dissolved into the blueberries, you can transfer the contents of your sauce pan into a bowl with the rest of your blueberries, and your cold butter. Mix several times, then transfer to your pie crust.

 

                     

The last step in this recipe is to take your crumbled topping that you set aside, and sprinkle it over your pie. Once pie is assembled, bake at 350 degrees until topping is golden brown. This should take about 40 minutes depending on your oven. It is important to let the pie cool down for at least 10 minutes after baking to let the filling set up.

 

 

Enjoy!