Creamy Chard Squash Parmesan Tart Recipes

CREAMY PARMESAN SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400ºF. Butter a shallow 5- or 6-cup ceramic gratin dish. Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs; set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and garlic to a boil (watch that it doesn't boil over), immediately lower the heat, and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes; the cream should be reduced to about 3/4 cup. Take the pan off the heat and remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon. Let the cream cool slightly, stirring occasionally to loosen. Season it with a few grinds of fresh pepper and 1/4 tsp. of the salt.
• Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and browned. With tongs, transfer it to paper towels; crumble when cool. Leave the bacon fat in pan (if there's more than 2 Tbs., drain a little off). Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the chard stems and sauté them over medium to medium-high heat until they're somewhat softened and browned on the edges, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chard leaves and toss them with the contents of the skillet. Season them with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. (You can add the leaves in two batches for easier handling.) Sauté until all the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the contents of the pan to the gratin dish (leave behind any excess liquid in the sauté pan), spreading them evenly. Sauté sliced chard stems first until tender; then add the leaves and wilt them.
• Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and then the cheese over the chard. Pour the seasoned cream over all and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 minutes; the gratin will be brown and bubbly. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

PARMESAN CUSTARD TART WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Make shell:
• Combine flour, sage, and salt in a food processor, then add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough into a ball with scraper, then flatten into a 5-inch square. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 17- by 8-inch rectangle and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides of shell all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line pastry shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until sides are set and edges are pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Lightly brush bottom and sides of shell with egg white and continue to bake until dry and shiny, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Make filling while shell bakes:
• Bring cheese and cream just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and steep, covered, 30 minutes. Pour steeped cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on cheese solids and then discarding them.
• While cream steeps, heat oil in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté squash with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, turning, until lightly browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and cool slightly.
• Whisk together whole egg, yolk, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl until combined. Add steeped cream, whisking until smooth.
• Fill and bake tart:
• Scatter squash evenly in tart shell and pour custard over. Bake until custard is just set and golden in patches, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack at least 20 minutes.
• Halve tart crosswise, then cut in half lengthwise and cut each quarter into 8 pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• *Available at some cookware shops and Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop (fantes.com).

SWISS CHARD AND HERB TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Put the flour, sugar and fine salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together, adding up to 2 more tablespoons ice water if needed. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a floured surface. Ease into the prepared pan and press into the bottom and up the side; trim to make a 2-inch-high crust. Prick the bottom a few times with a fork; refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the dough-lined pan on a baking sheet. Line the dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are just lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights; continue baking until the crust is lightly golden all over, 15 to 20 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. (The crust can be made a day ahead; cover and store at room temperature.)
• Make the filling: Thinly slice the Swiss chard leaves and cut the stems into 1/4-inch slices. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chard stems, season with kosher salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the dill and lemon zest and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the chard leaves and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Let the filling cool, then squeeze out the excess moisture.
• Transfer the filling to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the shredded cheddar, half-and-half, parmesan, egg and nutmeg. Pour into the crust and bake until set, 45 to 50 minutes. Top immediately with shaved cheddar and let melt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SUMMER SQUASH TART WITH MASCARPONE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• For the pate sablee tart crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream together the butter, sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
• On a flour-dusted work surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, and then cut into 6-inch circles. Line eight 4-inch tart pans with the pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Prick the bottom of the chilled tart shells with a fork. Bake until the shells are an even golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before filling.
• For the mascarpone cream cheese filling: Cream together the mascarpone and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Add the cream, confectioners' sugar and salt and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Once the filling is smooth, add the lemon zest and candied ginger and mix to combine. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
• For the sugar-roasted summer squash: Once the tart shells are out of the oven, raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• With a mandolin, thinly slice the squash into disks.
• Combine the sugar and five-spice powder in a large bowl. Add the sliced squash and toss to coat.
• Place the sugar-coated squash on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving some space between each slice.
• Roast until the squash is beginning to brown at the edges and the sugar is starting to caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
• To assemble: Fill the cooled tart shells with the filling. Decoratively arrange the cooled squash slices on top. If desired, use a kitchen torch to caramelize the edges of the squash.

CHARD WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• I was amazed to discover how a little Parmesan and butter transforms plain wilted chard. Try it and see.
• Pull the leaves from the ribs of one or more bunches of chard. Discard the ribs (or save them for another dish), wash the leaves, and cook until tender in abundant salted boiling water, 4 minutes or so. Drain the leaves, cool, squeeze out most of their excess water, and chop coarse. For every bunch of chard, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the chopped chard and salt to taste. Heat through and for each bunch of chard stir in a generous handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Remove from the heat and serve.

CREAMY BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN (LOW-CARB)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, and remove seeds. Place on foil lined baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, combine half and half, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• When spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use two forks to pull the squash strands from the skin. Place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Discard skins.
• Pour the cream mixture over the squash, and stir to combine.
• Top with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
• Place in oven, and bake 20-30 minutes. If the cheese does not brown and bubble, broil for 5-10 minutes.
• Serve hot, and enjoy!

SAUTEED SWISS CHARD WITH PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

CREAMY SWISS CHARD PASTA WITH LEEKS, TARRAGON AND LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the chard: Tear the leaves off the stems, separating the leaves and stems. Thinly slice the stems, then coarsely tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Set both aside in separate bowls.
• Prepare the leeks: Trim off the bottom and the dark green portion at the top, halve the remaining white and pale green portion lengthwise, then thinly slice them crosswise. Wash and drain the sliced leeks. Set aside.
• Prepare the bread crumbs: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium. Add the panko, season lightly with salt and generously with pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-high. Add the leeks, chard stems, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks start to wilt and soften, about 5 minutes. Add the torn chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 2 minutes.
• Add the stock and heavy cream, and boil over high until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Once the mixture is simmering, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain pasta.
• Transfer chard mixture to the empty pasta pot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then sprinkle with the Parmesan, stirring vigorously to melt it into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide among shallow bowls or plates. Sprinkle generously with the prepared bread crumbs, top with tarragon and grate fresh lemon zest on top. Serve immediately.

BAKED PARMESAN BREADED SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Place squash in a large bowl. Add oil and seasonings; toss to coat., In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs and cheese. Dip squash in crumb mixture to coat both sides, patting to help coating adhere. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pans halfway through baking.

HERBED SUMMER SQUASH AND POTATO TORTE WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Set aside 1/4 cup sliced green onions. Toss remaining green onions, cheese, flour, thyme, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend.
• Layer 1/6 of potatoes in concentric circles in bottom of 1 prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Layer 1/4 of squash in concentric circles atop potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/6 of potatoes, then 1/4 of squash and 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Top with 1/6 of potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture and press gently to flatten. Repeat procedure with second cake pan and remaining potatoes, squash, oil, and cheese mixture.
• Cover pans with foil. Bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until tortes begin to brown and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes longer. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool. Cover with foil and chill. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.)
• Cut each torte into wedges. Sprinkle wedges with 1/4 cup green onions; serve.

CREAMED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil over medium-high. Gradually add chard and cook until it is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible.
• In pot, melt butter. Whisking constantly, add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Cook, whisking along bottom of pot, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard and stir until coated. Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

SWISS CHARD RUSTIC TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Remove pie crust from pouch; on lightly floured surface, roll crust into 13-inch round. Carefully transfer to cookie sheet.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add Swiss chard; cook 3 minutes or until just wilted. Stir in vinegar; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
• Spread goat cheese on dough round to within 11/2 inches of edge. Top with chard mixture, Parmesan cheese and walnuts. Fold edges of dough over filling, making pleats so pastry lays flat. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges.

PARMESAN ROASTED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Toss squash slices, Parmesan cheese, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until the squash is evenly coated; spread into a jelly roll pan.
• Roast in preheated oven until golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Take a paring knife and stick little holes all over squash.
• Put the squash in a baking dish and bake about an 1 hour at 350 degrees F. or until soft.
• Cut the squash in half.
• Scoop out seeds and throw them away.
• Take a fork and "scrape" the inside of the squash into strings, letting them fall into a serving bowl.
• Toss with Parmesan cheese and butter.
• Salt and pepper to taste.