Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
- Kosher salt
- 13 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- 3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
- 10 1/2 ounces garlic-and-herb soft goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet}
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.
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By isabelle_33_124...
Portland, OR
on September 19, 2011
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DE-licious! Don't skip out on making the crust here...it's the best part! No store bought crust will compare. And the filling is a perfect blend of of everything divine. It's really not that difficult and a perfect way to entertain friends as you can make it ahead of time. Thanks Ina!! A new favorite, for sure!!
By jbfeaster_8763498
Overland Park, KS
on July 14, 2011
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The crust is flaky and the filling delicious. I had a bit of a problem with the crust shrinking, but I think I didn't allow enough slack in placing it into the tart pan, and as a result, I forgot the shallots! I plan to try, try again until I reach Ina perfection. Thanks, Ina.
By neely_13099568
Ocean Pines, 60
on August 25, 2010
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All recipes I've tried from Ina that are baked or roasted are truly solid recipes. The goat cheese tart is a light, simple, beautiful starter recipe. I would begin experimenting with a plain goat cheese rather than an herbed version. That way you can use the herbs you really prefer. For example, I've blended a bulb of roasted garlic, fresh rosemary, and fresh basil into the cheese mixture. I find this method to be a cleaner version than one using herbed cheese.
I've also added roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes to the bottom layer and dropped some on top before baking. The mixture stands up perfectly to the moisture and weight of the veggies.
Giada De Laurentiis has a beautiful version of a roasted red pepper salad that is a gorgeous topping for this tart. Giada's salad consists of peppers, capers, kalamata olives, fresh basil, etc.. Even if the tart is served as a slice with a little greens red pepper salad to the side, just the combination of the two recipes is absolutely amazing. Perfect for a brunch, lunch, or appetizer.
One more plus that might sound crazy, but with a 2 yr old who loves all forms of cheese, this is another way for me to sneak veggies into a dish that he will eat right along with the adults.
Thanks again Ina!
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