I love cookbooks. If you came to my house and saw my collection, you might even call it an obsession. People see the books I have downstairs in the living room and think I have a lot of books. They don't realize there are so many bins of them in the office and basement too (we're hoping to do built-in bookshelves in the living room in the not-too-distant future so I can finally unpack them all). Even though I already have so many, that doesn't stop me from adding to my collection.
Recently I attended the launch party at Island Creek Oyster Bar for The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes, Jeremy Sewall and Erin Byers Murray's new cookbook.
A Boston chef, Sewall is known for his restaurants, Lineage, Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, and Row 34. While sampling lobster brioche sliders and lobster tacos and sipping fall-themed cocktails, I was swayed to purchase his new book. One of the things I love about this cookbook is that it's a local cookbook. It takes the New England seasons into account and is divided into chapters based on them. I also love the stories woven through the book (it's why I love a lot of my cookbooks; they're about more than just the recipes).
There were several recipes that immediately stood out to me as I flipped through the cookbook, so for my first recipe, I limited myself to the fall section and found this lovely goat cheese tart. The original recipe makes a much larger tart but I cut it down so it would nicely serve four.
The tart, with its flaky crust, is incredibly light, and the salad on top gets a nice Dijon dressing, the notes of which pair perfectly with the goat cheese base. With some crisp Fuji apple slices, the finished tart is balanced and bright. It would make a fine starter or even a fun brunch addition.
Goat Cheese Tart With Pomegranate And Mâche
(adapted from The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes)
(adapted from The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes)
A perfect fall starter, this warm goat cheese tart gets a vibrant, flavor-packed topping of mâche, pomegranate seeds, and apple slices.
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Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling time)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Dough
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
4½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Filling
4 ounces soft Vermont goat cheese
2½ ounces heavy cream
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and pepper
Topping
1 ounce mâche
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 tablespoon Dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)
Kosher salt and pepper
8 thin Fuji apple slices (slice just before serving)
Preparation
Dough
In medium bowl stir flour and salt together with wooden spoon. Cut in butter with pastry blender. In small bowl, stir together egg yolk and cream. Pour egg yolk mixture into flour mixture. Stir until dough starts to comes together.
Knead dough (it will seem crumbly but it will come together), remove from bowl, pat into small rectangle, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly flour countertop. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Place in 14- by 4-inch rectangular tart pan. Press into edges and corners and trim any excess. (Rolling over the top with a rolling pin is the easiest way to do this.) Prick dough all over with fork and transfer to freezer. Freeze until dough is firm, about 20 minutes.
Bake tart shell for 8 to 10 minutes.
Filling
Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together goat cheese, heavy cream, egg, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour filling into parbaked tart shell, and smooth top.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and set. (Don't worry if it cracks since you'll be topping it with salad.)
Topping
Toss mâche and pomegranate seeds with vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange salad and apples slices on top of warm tart.
Slice and serve.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot
1/2 garlic clove
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Preparation
Puree water, vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, and thyme in blender until smooth. Slowly add oils, making sure mixture is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. (Vinaigrette can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. You'll have more than you need for the tart recipe.)
You might notice that there's not actually any thyme in my tart even though I call for it in the recipe. This is simply because I had planned on picking some thyme from my garden to use in the tart, and being the New England girl I am, I saw it snowing outside and decided not to leave the house! (I made this back in early November.) But having tasted the tart, I think the thyme would definitely make a nice addition, and I think I'd trek out in the snow for it next time.
What draws you to a particular cookbook?
This post contains affiliate links to a cookbook I like. If you follow the link to purchase the cookbook or make other purchases, I'll earn a few cents.