Comté cheese and chard tart

Name: Comté cheese and chard tart
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 200g plain flour; 100g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature; 1 pinch sea salt; 1 organic free-range medium egg; 1 tbsp cold water; 30g unsalted butter; 2 medium Swiss chard stalks (200g), cut into 2cm batons; 60ml water; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 organic/free-range medium eggs; 100ml whole milk; 100ml whipping cream; 5 rasps of nutmeg (optional); 200g Comté cheese, grated

My homage to this fabulous fromage!

Prep 30 minsCook 30 minsServes 8

As you may know, I was born in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France, so Comté (or Gruyère de Comté, to be precise) is my local cheese. It’s made from unpasteurised cow’s milk, and around 64,000 tonnes of it are produced each year! This recipe is my homage to this fabulous fromage. It is a very simple tart – no need to even pre-bake the pastry. But do please make sure you buy the right Comté cheese; if it’s an aged vintage, it will be too salty for this tart, but a one-year-old cheese would be perfect.

This recipe is from my cookbook: Kitchen Secrets

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

200gplain flour
100gunsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
1 pinchsea salt
1organic free-range medium egg
1 tbspcold water

For the filling

30gunsalted butter
2medium Swiss chard stalks (200g), cut into 2cm batons
60mlwater
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2organic/free-range medium eggs
100mlwhole milk
100mlwhipping cream
5rasps of nutmeg (optional)
200gComté cheese, grated

Method

1
Put the flour, butter and salt into a large bowl and rub lightly together using your fingertips until you have a sandy texture. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and water.
With your fingertips, gradually work the egg and water into the flour and butter mixture. You must judge the consistency of the dough yourself - if it is too wet add a little flour; if too dry, add a little water.
At the last moment, when the eggs have been absorbed, bring the dough together and press to form a ball. Although hands are gentler and will give you a better pastry, you can make the pastry in a food processor, using the pulse button for no more than 30 seconds to bring the dough together (to avoid over-mixing).
2
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with your palms for just 10 seconds.
Break off 20-30g of dough, tightly wrap in cling film and refrigerate for later (to tuck in the dough).
Flatten the remaining dough into a round, 2 cm thick, and wrap in cling film.
Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes before rolling out.
3
To roll out the dough, place in the middle of a large sheet of cling film, about 40 cm square, and cover with another sheet of cling film of similar dimensions.
Roll out the dough to a circle, 3 mm thick.
4
To line the tart ring, place it on a peel or flat tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Take off the top layer of cling film and discard, then lift the dough by picking up the corners of the cling film and invert it into the tart ring, removing the cling film.
Ease the pastry into the ring with your fingers, and then tuck the dough into the edges using the little ball of dough, ensuring it is neatly moulded into the shape of the ring.
Trim the edges of the tart by rolling a rolling pin over the top of the ring.
Now, push the pastry edge gently up by pressing between your index finger and thumb all around the side of the tart ring to raise the edge 2 mm above the ring.
5
By pushing the edge of the tart to 2 mm above the ring, you are compensating for any slight retraction of the pastry during cooking.
With a fork, lightly prick the bottom of the pastry case.
This will allow the steam generated during cooking to escape, helping to keep the case flat and level.
Place the tart case in the fridge for 30 minutes to relax and firm up the pastry.
Allow the pastry to rest before you cook it to minimise any shrinkage.
6
To prepare for baking, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.
Place a baking stone or baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven.
7
To cook the Swiss chard, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the chard batons, water and some seasoning.
Stir, then cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until the chard pieces are soft and melting but holding their shape.
Drain and reserve.
8
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk and cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using. Scatter the chard pieces evenly over the base of the tart case.
Slide the tart directly onto the hot baking stone or tray in the oven and gently pour in the creamy egg mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes until lightly souffléd and golden brown. Leave to rest and cool slightly for 10 minutes before serving.

Chef's Tips

“
"For a successful pastry, you need to have even distribution of butter within the flour to give it flakiness. This is difficult to achieve if the butter is cold, so make sure it is at room temperature. Rub in delicately with your fingertips; do not try to knead." "In place of the chard and Comté cheese, you could use crumbled Roquefort and celery, tomato and goat’s cheese, or pumpkin and spinach, topped with a handful of grated Comté!"

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!