Tarts for a Wedding Shower

May 11, 2011  •  Breakfast, One Dish Meals, Side Dishes, Tarts

Last weekend my good friend’s daughter was honored with a wedding shower. I’ve known Lisa since she was four, when her family moved in across the street from us. Our kids grew up together, and it’s touching to see her get ready for her special day.When her mom asked me to make a couple of tarts for her shower, I was honored. My first choice was a classic Quiche Lorraine for one – caramelized onions, crispy bacon bits, and shredded Gruyere cheese.Plan ahead when making this as it takes a good 45 minutes to fully caramelize the onions. This is how they looked after cooking on medium to medium low for about 20 minutes.After another 20 they had taken on this level of color. I actually cooked them even a bit more than this, and deglazed the pan with just a touch of water so the onions would pick up any extra color from the pan.Spread the onions on the bottom of the tart crust, then top with crispy bacon bits and shredded Gruyere cheese. Fill with egg mixture (same as recipe below) and bake until set, about 45 minutes.The second tart I chose to make was a Greek inspired tart with spinach, feta and pine nuts. Squeeze the spinach very dry before spreading it over the bottom of the tart crust.Top with crumbled feta cheese……and pine nuts.Fill with egg mixture and bake until set and golden, about 45-60 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Spinach and Feta Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces flour
  • 4 ounces butter, cold
  • 2 ounces water
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, squeezed dry
  • 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 8 whole eggs
  • 2 cups half and half
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Cut cold butter into cubes. With mixer on low, add butter to flour and mix until crumbly. Mix water and vinegar together, then slowly add to mixer on low just until dough begins to come together. Shape dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Remove dough and let stand still wrapped in plastic for 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling out on a lightly floured surface. Shape into an 11" tart pan with a removable bottom.
  2. In a large bowl, beat eggs together lightly, then add half and half, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well with a whisk.
  3. Place tart pan on a foil lined baking sheet. Spread spinach, feta cheese, and pine nuts evenly over the bottom of the tart crust. Gently pour egg mixture on top, being careful not to overfill. Return tart to oven and bake until lightly golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean, about an hour. Let cool slightly before removing outer rim from tart pan and serving.

 

Comments

9 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Emily Malloy @Cleanliness says:

    This is so incredibly beautiful! As is the bride-to-be!

  2. Barbara | VinoLuciStyle says:

    On this cold and rainy day I only wish I had one of these warm tarts ready for lunch!

    I recently did a quiche with caramelized onions too; so good I wonder why it took me so long to add them. Bacon, onions, cheese and eggs…how could that ever be wrong? 🙂

  3. Jenny @ Savour the Senses says:

    Yum! This looks so good. I just might need to make this this week.

  4. Vickie from Part Three says:

    What a beautiful post! I can’t remember if I’ve ever commented on your blog, but it’s so beautiful. These tarts looks scrumptious and the bride-to-be looks radiant.

  5. K Woods says:

    what on earth does ‘2 cups half and half’ mean?

  6. andrea says:

    can i make this crustless?

    • Michele says:

      Andrea, while you could make it crustless, it’s really a quiche recipe intended to have a crust. If you need to make it crustless, use an 8×8 glass baking dish and spray it with cooking spray before adding the filling.

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