Brasserie By Niche's Goat Cheese Tart

Photo by Carmen Troesser

Courtesy of  
Sauce Magazine and Brasserie  


INGREDIENTS

1½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and frozen
¼ cup ice water
1 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 eggs
10½ oz. goat cheese, cut into 1-inch wide rounds
Chives, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Place the flour and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scatter the butter over the flour and pulse in 30-second intervals until the mix resembles coarse meal. Add cold water and pulse (the dough will seem dry).

Turn out the dough onto a work surface and, taking pieces about ¼ cup in volume, press the dough out flat using the heel of your hand. To prevent working the dough too much and melting the butter, only press each piece of dough out once; set aside each piece after flattening. When all the dough has been pressed, form it into a ball. This technique is called fraisage, and it will spread the butter out into thin layers and bring the dry dough together.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment into a 12-inch rough circle. Let the dough rest, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes.

Fill a 10-inch fluted tart pan with the dough and let it rest, refrigerated, for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights (or use uncooked rice or beans). Bake until the sides are totally set and beginning to turn golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pie weights and prick the base of the shell all over with a fork. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the base of the shell is dry and golden brown. Let cool.

Scald the heavy cream and garlic together, then let steep until cool. Strain out the garlic.

In a blender, mix the garlic cream and eggs, adding the eggs one at a time. Add the goat cheese one piece at a time and blend until the mix is completely smooth.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Fill the baked shell with the goat cheese custard and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the custard is set. The center of the tart should look springy rather than watery.

Sprinkle with chives and serve with fennel salad (recipe here) or your favorite tossed green salad.