Jerusalem artichoke and silverbeet tart
Serves 4-6
500g shortcrust pastry
Filling
600g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut in ½ cm rounds
250g silverbeet, washed and drained,
4 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
175ml cream
70g crème fraiche or sour cream
2 medium eggs
150g cheese (curds, feta, cheddar or gruyere), broken into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lightly oil a 23cm loose-bottomed tin.
Line the tin with the pastry ensuring that you don't stretch it into the tin (it will shrink); allow enough pastry to overhang the tin. The excess will be trimmed later. Prick the base with a fork and rest the pastry case in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 170degC.
Bake the pastry case blind by lining it with a round of greaseproof paper and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 35 minutes, remove the paper and beans and continue to bake for a further 5 minutes or until the dough has coloured lightly and cooked through. Remove and cool.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Put the artichokes in cold, lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
Separate the silverbeet leaves from the stalks. Roughly cut both but keep separate as they take different times to cook. Heat the oil in a large frying pan add the stalks and fry for 2 minutes, add the leaves and rosemary and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, seasoning and garlic.
Whisk together the cream, crème fraiche and eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the artichokes over the base of the pastry shell, scatter over the silverbeet (leaves and stalks) and finally place bits of cheese around the tart. Pour the custard over top and bake for 15 minutes, cover with foil and bake for a further 30-40 minutes or until the filling is set.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Break or cut off the overhanging pastry and discard.
Great served warm.
• Alison Lambert, chef at the Otago Farmers Market, will demonstrate this recipe at the market on Saturday morning.
