A Tart Apart

Local baby spinach has arrived at City Market - this tart features spinach from Hazendale Farm in Greensboro.

When I saw the local baby spinach in Produce, and the little purple spring onions and French radishes (the latter from California, but they’ll be here soon enough), I wanted to make a recipe that said, “Spring!” Eggs and cheese were going to be involved, because it’s Vermont, and I like eggs and cheese, and I was thinking of a tart. I grabbed some phyllo dough and brought it home to start researching recipes. Flipping open the New German Cookbook, I came across a “Leek Tart” recipe with phyllo dough and decided to adapt it for spring onions and spinach.

Ok, this recipe is a little over-the-top, but that’s German cooking for you. It’s cheesy, it’s buttery, it’s rich. It also fed us for about a week. Leftovers are great for lunch. And it does use a ton of spinach.
 
While I enjoyed the recipe, I’ll be making something a little lighter the next time I make a tart, when asparagus season rolls around. That, after all, is the nature of tarts. They fill a craving for a while… and then you have to do it again.

Spinach and Spring Onion Tart
8 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1 stick butter (8 Tbs.), melted
***
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 spring onions, diced
2/3-3/4 pound local baby spinach (this is approximate; I used 2 packages)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 ¼ cups milk/cream combination
½ tsp. salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
Freshly grated black pepper
1 Tbs. kirsch or local brandy (opt.)
1 pound local cheese, grated (I used a combination of Vermont Ayr and Shelburne Farms cheddar, and a little less than a pound)

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Brush the entire length of a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter. Fold in half and place in baking dish. Brush the overhanging edges with extra melted butter so they don’t dry out. Repeat with remaining phyllo dough sheets, arranging in a criss-cross (alternating) direction each time you place them in the baking dish, and being sure to brush the overhanging edges. Fold over overhanging edges and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté spring onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach, stir, and place lid on skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, then remove lid and allow some of the moisture to steam off. Turn off heat.
Combine eggs, combination of milk and cream, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and optional kirsch. Layer grated cheese on phyllo dough. Pour egg mixture over top. Spoon spinach mixture on top of that.
Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, or until the center is set (a toothpick inserted comes out clean) and the tart is golden.
Allow to cool before serving. Serves 12.

Adapted from the New German Cookbook