I have a wonderful recipe to share with you today but before I get to it I wanted to show you some awesome new kitchen items I was able to choose from the WEBstaurant store, the #1 restaurant supply site on the web. Their product knowledge expert Steve came to me asking if I’d like to test some products out. I couldn’t say no to that and went shopping right away! Sadly I have a list of kitchen items I really want/need but I tend to never pick them up! This was a great opportunity for me to get my list smaller. I was able to get three items I needed which were a thermometer, French rolling pin and a bread loaf pan.
My items were shipped right away and came well packaged. I was very happy with the service and the quality they offer. They have materials meant for a restaurant but they also offer restaurant quality products for normal people like you and I at an affordable price.
I couldn’t wait to use my French rolling pin for a tart recipe I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. Once again the people from Posit Science sent me a wonderful Thinkfood recipe called Spinach & Caramelized Onion Tart. The reason why I wanted to try this tart was for the crust. I love cornmeal and never have used it as a crust before. The crust was surprisingly very easy to put together. I had a lot of fun rolling it out into an 12-inch circle ;). After an hour this beautiful tart was ready for dinner. I paired it with a lovely green salad. It was moist, decadent, and very satisfying. My father said this would be something to make and bring to an hosted party. I think he is right!
Spinach & Caramelized Onion Tart (By Thinkfood)
Serves 6
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably stone ground
1 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Filling
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved then thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I doubled this)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I used dried, fresh would best)
12 oz baby spinach leaves
6 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk, preferably 2% (I used 1%)
1. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream while stirring constantly with a fork. Slowly add 1/2 cup cold water in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a fork, mixing until absorbed.
2. With your hand, work the dough until it just comes together into a ball inside the bowl. Turn dough out onto a surface dusted with cornmeal and roll into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Lightly oil a 9 or 10-inch tart pan and line the pan with the dough circle. Gently press into pan and remove excess dough from around the edges. Set the tart shell on a baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
3. Make the filling: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add 1/3 of the spinach leaves. Toss the spinach around in the pan, mixing it with the onions, until it begins to wilt. Mix in the remaining spinach in two batches, until it is wilted and incorporated with the onions. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
That’s what 12 oz of raw spinach looks like!
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, eggs, and milk and pulse until well mixed.
6. Spread the onion-spinach mixture over the bottom of the prepared tart shell, then top with the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the egg is set and the top is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before slicing.
If you want to impress a crowd of people or someone you love, I think this is the right recipe for that!
Also don’t just throw away the crust scraps. Re-roll them out and make crackers out of them! Mine are seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme. Baked in a 350 degree oven until lightly brown and crisp. They are DELICIOUS!
Did you make it all the way to the end? If you did then you are in luck because I am hosting a GIVEAWAY! The winner will receive a $25 credit for the WEBstaurant store. The contest will last till Sunday, October 10th at midnight. All you have to do is visit the WEBstaurant store and tell me which item you could use for your kitchen, then post it in the comments below. I will use random.org to pick the winner. The winner will be announced Monday morning.
Good luck,
Fallon
