Tourte De Blette Recipes

TOURTE AUX BLETTES - A SWISS CHARD TART FROM PROVENCE

Steps:

• Make the pastry crust - blend flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest. Add oil and work it in by hand, then add the eggs to combine to form a smooth, workable dough. If it's too dry to hold together, add a little water - but just a little. Cover and refrigerate as we prepare the filling.
• Trim the Swiss chard leaves from the stems, setting aside the stems for another use. wash the leaves.
• Transfer the wet leaves to a large pot and steam until they have wilted - about 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess moisture, and chop coarsely.
• Cover the raisins with the alcohol and heat gently or microwave for a few seconds.
• Toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat until fragrant in a dry skillet.
• Combine the chard with the sugar, the raisins with the alcohol plumped in, the pine nuts, the lemon zest, and the egg - everything but the apple.
• Divide the pastry dough in half and roll out on a floured surface into a large round, perhaps 30 cm / 12 inches across. If the tough tears, simply press it back together - it's an easy crust to work with.
• Place the disk into a shallow fluted tart pan or - as we have done here - simply transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Place the filling on the bottom crust and cover with the apple or pear slices, if using.
• Cover with the top crust and seal the edges.
• Bake at 190° C / 375° F until golden - about 30-40 minutes
• Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

TOURTE DE BLETTE

Steps:

• Make the pie pastry in the usual way and chill for 30 minutes or until firm. Line a 10-inch pie pan with two-thirds of the dough and chill 15 minutes, or until firm.
• Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
• Bake the pastry and leave to cool.
• Make the filling: Set the raisins in milk for 30 minutes, then simmer them in the milk for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and discard the milk.
• Remove the ribs from the chard and use only leaves. Add leaves to a large pot of boiling water and boil for three to four minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain again and squeeze out excess liquid. Chop the chard and mix it with raisins, apples, pine nuts, jelly, sugar, cheese, eggs, lemon rind and rum.
• Spoon the filling into the baked shell. Roll out the remaining dough in a thin layer and use a pan lid to cut a circle a little larger than the diameter of the top of the pie shell. Set the circle on top, pressing to stick it to the edges of the baked shell and bake for one hour or until the dough is golden brown. Let it cool in the pan and serve at room temperature, sprinkled, if you like, with sugar.