Savory cheese tart
Cheese tarts are sold in bakeries across France, but this French classic is also easy to prepare at home. The most common version is made with Comté or another hard cheese from the Alps of eastern France — Gruyère, Emmental, etc. But one can also improvise. In the tart pictured above, for example, I combined Comté and Roquefort.
The cheeses are grated or crumbled, nestled in pastry and bathed in a mixture of eggs, milk and cream. You can use a homemade crust — I would suggest a pâte brisée (savory pie crust) — or store-bought puff pastry (pâte feuilletée). If using puff pastry, be sure to buy a high-quality variety made with butter only — no lard or margarine.
As for quantities, you will need 6 ounces (180 g) of Comté or a similar cheese or, if mixing two cheeses, 4 ounces (120 g) of Comté plus 2 ounces (60 g) of a second cheese. (The proportions are 2:1.) Possibilities for improvisation are vast. You can mix the Comté with chèvre (goat cheese), Roquefort, one of the many fabulous French soft cheeses — e.g. Maroilles, Pont-l’Evèque, Epoisses — or a cheese produced in your region.
A word about preparation: Do not buy pre-grated cheese. The flavor will be far better if you grate the cheese yourself. Ditto the nutmeg. Grate it yourself, using a nutmeg grater or, lacking that, using the smallest holes of your cheese grater.
The quantities below will serve four people as a lunch dish, six as a starter and up to ten as a palate-teaser at cocktail hour.
1 pâte brisée or 1 store-bought puff pastry crust (pâte feuilletée)
1 tsp. butter
* 6 ounces (180 g) Comté
OR
* 4 ounces (120 g) Comté and 2 ounces (60 g) of another cheese (see above)
4 eggs
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream (crème entière)
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
Begin with the pastry. You will need a 10-inch (25-cm) tart pan.
Important: do not prick the crust.
If making a homemade pâte brisée, click here for the recipe. Pat the dough into your tart pan. Set in the fridge to chill.
If using store-bought pastry, lightly butter your tart pan, unroll the pastry and gently pat it in. The pastry will most likely overlap the edge of the tart pan. Turn the extra in over itself to create a rim. Set in the fridge to chill.
Preheat the oven to 18o C (350 F, gas mark 6).
Grate the Comté onto a plate, using the larger holes of your grater. Set aside.
If using a second cheese, grate or crumble it onto a second plate. Set aside.
Break two of the eggs into a medium bowl. Separate the other two eggs and add the yolks to the bowl. Whisk with a wire whip until frothy.
Add the milk, cream and salt. Whisk again. Grind on some black pepper. Grate a little nutmeg over the bowl (do not overdo it, as a little goes a long way). Whisk well.
Retrieve your tart shell from the fridge. Scatter the cheese evenly over the tart shell. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Gently transfer to the oven.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking from time to time. The tart filling will puff up in the oven. The tart is done when the top is nicely browned and the filling settles back down.
Serve warm, perhaps accompanied by a salad of tender leaves. If making the tart in advance, it may be reheated.
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a starter and up to 10 at cocktail hour.