I really should have named this “These are a few of my Favorite Things”…
Sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to cook, and head to the kitchen to see what’s on hand
It is sort of a game I play, creating a dish out of what I have, without making a list and going to the store
Let’s see, I had, plums, blueberries, bacon, gruyere and pie crust….
My pie crust is a hot mess, but it won’t matter because it will be covered up with lots of goodies
Instead of pre-baking the crust with pie weights I decided to experiment and cover the bottom with pecans
and protect the pecans from getting too brown by covering them with a layer of shaved Parmesan
Bake it for 10-12 minutes to start the crust cooking and firm up
Meanwhile, caramelize the onion and cook the bacon
I like to cook bacon in the oven because it requires no babysitting. For recipes like this, cook the bacon so it’s slightly under done, that way it doesn’t get too hard when cooked further in the finished dish. If you look closely you can see that it has just started to crisp but also has lots of soft spots
Place the onions over the pecans in the bottom of tart and top with chopped bacon
I had some leftover cottage cheese so I decided to add it to the tart for some creaminess. You could substitute goat cheese or ricotta~it adds a little tangy element and helps keep the filling together
Sprinkle some blueberries around
Top with plum slices…
I decided it still needed a binder, so I beat 2 eggs with a little milk to pour in the nooks and crannies
If you want to make more of a deep dish version, make the sides of your pie crust higher and use 4-5 eggs and 1 cup of milk. This will result in a quiche rather than this tart
Top everything with a lovely blanket of grated Gruyere and bake!
There are no words
holy wow, this was insanely good
Let it sit a few minutes so it will slice up pretty~
layers of flavors…and color!
A thing of beauty!
Savory Plum Tart with Parmesan Pecan Crust
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated pie crust dough round
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 oz fresh Parmesan shaved
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 6-8 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 2 ripe plums sliced
- 1/2 cup 2% milk fat cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 oz Gruyere cheese grated
- salt and pepper
- 1 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare crust by lining a round tart or pie pan with dough pressing dough about half way up sides of dish, forming a low edge. Prick dough with tines of a fork. Spread chopped pecans evenly over bottom of dough and top with shaved Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, to set dough and melt cheese.
- Saute onion in butter and olive oil over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized and golden. Bake bacon in a 350 oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until just beginning to crisp.* Drain well on paper towels. Chop bacon into 1/2″ pieces
- Sprinkle onions evenly over bottom of tart shell. Top with bacon. Drop dollops of cottage cheese evenly in and around filling. Sprinkle blueberries around. Top with plum slices. Sprinkle Gruyere over all.
- Beat eggs with milk and season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour mixture over tart, letting the liquid seep into all the nooks and cranies.
- Tart can be refrigerated at this point for baking later
- Bring tart to room temperature and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until cheese is melted and tart is completely set. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing into wedges.
- *leave the bacon slightly under done so it doesn’t get too hard when cooked in the tart
Let your creativity go wild in the kitchen, and have some fun!
______________________________________
I will be joining: