Ingredient Spotlight: Fennel - Savory Fennel Creme Tart

Market Fresh Fennel, Photo:NK

The clocks have moved forward, the days are longer, and the first day of Spring is upon us. 

Not a moment too soon. Overcome with warm weather anticipation, I set out yesterday to create a beautiful spring-ready appetizer that celebrates the bounty of seasonal produce that lies ahead.  

Our Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring dish uses a versatile veggie that bridges the gap. It also happens to be a personal favorite of mine - Fennel.  

Fennel is an amazing vegetable that hits its peak in mid Winter but is available from Fall all the way to early Spring. Another fun fact- Fennel is edible from top to bottom. The fronds, or delicate leafy greens atop the stalks, are lovely and herbaceous. They also make a beautiful garnish. Fennel's large white Bulbs, with the exception of their hard inner core, offer a mild licorice flavor and pleasant crunch when consumed raw. 

Once cooked, the Bulbs sweeten considerably and offer a subtle flavor that works with a wide variety of pairings. 

Cooked Fennel tastes, at least to me, like spring feels - warm, sweet, mellow. Ahhhhhh. 

I hope you like today's incredibly easy yet impressive Savory Fennel Creme Tart as much as we did. It's perfect warm or at room temperature and makes for a great make-ahead party offering or holiday appetizer. It may even pop up at our Easter celebration.
Enjoy!

Finished Fennel Creme Tart, Photo: NK

 

Fennel, Photo: NK 

Fennel Creme Fraiche Tart
Serves 3-4 as an Appetizer

1/3 Cup Creme Fraiche
2 Tablespoons Half and Half
1 Tablespoon minced Fennel Fronds
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper 
1 Egg, well beaten

Oil or Butter for greasing your baking sheet

1 Large Fennel with Stalk attached - Fronds (leafy tops) pinched off and minced (1 Tablespoon worth) and Bulb cut away (any bruised skin shaved off and discarded). Save some additional Fronds for garnish.

1/4 Cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

1 Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, fully defrosted. (Puff Pastry usually comes two sheets to a package so if you like, you can easily double this recipe) *Be sure to cover with saran while defrosting to prevent drying.

Flour for dusting the Dough

Method:

Scoring and Folding the Puff Pastry Dough, Photo: NK

Defrost Puff Pastry for about 30 to 40 minutes. 
It should be room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 390.

Boil a large pot of salted water. Cut off the Fennel Stalk and set aside. Add the Fennel Bulb to the boiling water and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

When Fennel is done, remove it and rinse with cold water. Dry the outside thoroughly and slice horizontally as thinly as possible. The slices will look roughly like rings. Discard the circles of hard inner core that you find. Take the remaining slices of fennel and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.

Pinch in corners well and press into tart base, Photo: NK

Lightly grease a baking sheet with sides with butter or a tiny bit of Oil. 

Prepare Creme Filling by mixing the first six ingredients. 

To Prepare the Puff Pastry Dough, Flour a surface lightly and lay the Dough down. 

Arrange the Sliced Fennel, Photo: NK

Sprinkle the top of the Dough with some more flour. 

Cut the top third of the Dough off to form a rectangular shape (though you can also create any shape you choose).

Roll the Dough Lightly with a rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Move the Dough to the baking sheet and trim the edges of the Dough with a knife to make the rectangle more even. 

Add the cream. Don't overfill to prevent spillage, NK

Next, score the Dough all around the rectangle about a centimeter in from the edge.

Fold the scored edges in at a 90 degree angle to form a crust. 

Pinch the corners really well so they stay fused, also pressing the insides of the  corners into the base of the tart. 

Arrange Fennel all over the Tart (as pictured). Next, carefully pour in as much of the Creme as it takes to the cover the Tart (don't overfill). There will likely be some Creme leftover. 

Next, sprinkle Pecorino Romano Cheese 
all over the Tart.

Finish with an additional dash of Black Pepper.

Bake 40 minutes until crust is crispy and golden.

Cool a bit, clean up the Tart edges with a knife if any of the Creme spilled over (*see cook's note below), and garnish with additional Fennel Fronds. Slice, serve, and enjoy! 

The Finished Product - ready to slice! Photo: NK

*Important Cook's Note:  
You may use this same filling with puff pastry fitted in a tart pan or even in a prepared pie crust (though cooking time may change). Because I like to keep this tart nice and thin and prefer to prepare it without the use of a tart pan, there is a chance that some of the filling will flow over the sides of the crust as the tart bakes. This is absolutely ok! If any overflow occurs, simply allow the tart to cool a bit and trace around it with a knife to clean up the edges. It will come out looking just perfect so don't fret!    

Savory Fennel Creme Tart, Photo: NK

No-Stress Elegance - Caramelized Onion & Olive Croustade

And just like that .... 'Tis the season! 

Photo: NK

November's barely over and already, calendars are filling up with holiday parties and events. 

Our hearts are soon to be filled thanks to all the family fun, and we're priming our bellies for the most diet unfriendly time of the year. Though festive, the stretch between Turkey Day and New Years can be both exhausting and nerve-frazzling. So when it comes time to balance our daily responsibilities with a whole lot of extra merriment, I like to have something predictable to rely on. Today, it's a go-to hors d'oeuvre. 

ln a season where you'll more than likely have to bring a dish or an appetizer to parties, I thought I would share a foolproof, easy, yet impressive pre-dinner bite. Eric Ripert's Caramelized Onion and Olive Croustade fits that bill. I'll be bringing this savory pastry to my mom-in-law's Thanksgiving Celebration. Cut into slices, the Croustade makes for the perfect universally likable portable finger food. 

Why it's great:
The recipe is simple - many of the ingredients will be in your pantry already, so to make this, you'll only need to buy about 5 or 6 other items, none of which are hard to find or exotic. 

Using Frozen Puff Pastry makes this even easier, and works for bakingphobes like me. 

Who doesn't love a sweet, salty and savory pastry hors d'oeuvre? 

What to know: 
Caramelizing Onions is very simple to do but not quick. Set aside about an hour and twenty minutes total for this recipe, 45 minutes of which will be dedicated to slicing and caramelizing the onions. Keep in mind, there is really only about 20 minutes of active time overall, so although the dish is not super quick, it really is quite easy.

Make sure to leave time to bring your Puff Pastry Sheets to room temperature before beginning this recipe. This should take about a half hour. To do this, you'll need to remove it from the package and separate the two sheets.

Caramelizing the Onions can be done a day in advance providing you store them in the fridge in an airtight container. 

The complete Croustade should be prepared the morning of and stored outside of the fridge. 

For serving, the Croustade is really best served fresh out of the oven, but also tastes just fine at room temperature. If you travel with it and your hostess has room in the oven, ask her to warm it up briefly. It can sit overnight if necessary as well. Store on a countertop and cover in foil.

You can experiment with the size and shape of this tart. Ripert's recipe yields two 6 inch round Tarts, but you can easily make one or even two larger round Tarts providing you double the amount of Caramelized Onions you prepare, as well as the amount of Olives you buy. If you do this, keep in mind that baking time may change, so just check your Croustade at about 14 minutes into cooking and keep an eye on it until it is flaky, golden, and cooked through. 

Here we go:

Caramelized Onion and Olive Croustade
Recipe by Eric Ripert 
Yield: Makes 2 Small Croustades and Serves 5 to 6 
Total Time: 1.5 hours or less, Active Time: 2O minutes 

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil 
1 Clove Garlic, very thinly sliced
2 Very Large White or Yellow Onions, very thinly sliced
2-3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
Fine Quality Sea Salt 
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Sheets Frozen Puff Pastry Dough, defrosted fully and cut into 6 inch rounds*
1/2 Cup Black Olives, Pitted - preferably Nicoise or Kalamata Olives, sliced in half.
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, a few pinches

*Cook's Tip - If you don't have an appropriately sized cookie cutter, use an inverted bowl or other round object to mark the dough, then trace the rounds with a sharp knife to create circles. 

Caramelized Onions, Photo: NK

Method: 
Preheat oven to 450.

Heat Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the sliced-up Onion, Thyme Sprigs, and Garlic.

Cook the Onion, stirring once in a while, until soft - about 6 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the Onions for about 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well caramelized.
Season to taste with a bit of Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper. Remove onions to a plate lined with paper towel and lightly blot away some of the oil. 

Place Puff Pastry rounds on a non-stick baking sheet or baking sheet lined with Parchment. 

Assembling the Croustade, Photo: NK

Spread the Onion Mixture onto each Dough Round. 

Be sure to leave about a half inch or less 
of space around the edges.

Next, top the Onion Mixture with Black Olives and Parmesan.  

Bake the Croustade in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to check it at around the 15 minute mark.

When the Croustades are done they will be fully crisped, flaky, golden brown, and puffed. Let cool if storing or serve warm if presenting to guests right away. When ready to serve, cut Croustades into thin slices. 

Store outside of the fridge if not serving immediately.

Best served right away but the croustade is also good at room temperature or, more preferably, re-heated briefly. 

Caramelized Onion and Olive Croustade, Photo: NK 

Enjoy! 
Wishing you all a joyous Thanksgiving! 
Pin It