Savory Carmelized Garlic, Spinach and Cheddar Tart

America's Test Chicken consists of two separate chickens, each with her own take on this cooking thing. Chicken One also has a related blog, A Travel for Taste where she shares travel stories and recipes collected whenever she ventures abroad. Not to be outdone, Chicken Two has a new, also-related blog, Poop from the Coop, which presents stories about her personal adventure re-experiencing the kitchen after many years away.

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This time, we present a savory garlic and spinach tart that takes a bit of work, but the compliments you get will make it more than worthwhile!

The complete recipe appears at the end of this post.

From Chicken One: This stunning dish was Chicken Two's idea. She'd found the recipe in a bon appétit magazine and raved about it after having made it twice. Of course I had to try it myself. Because this dish appeared to be very much like quiche, I had to delve into the semantics of the whole situation. What I found was this: Both a quiche and a tart have a single, bottom crust are baked in a straight-sided, possibly fluted dish whose bottom may be removable A quiche is always savory always has an egg custard filling A tart can be savory or sweet can have egg custard filling or another kind, like this fruit tart on my related blog A pie can be sweet or savory, but in America it's usually sweet is in a deeper dish than quiches or tarts has the same kind of crust as quiches and tarts but also may have a top crust is baked in a sloped-sided dish That last point is valid, but if you only have a pie pan, use it for this recipe. It's what I did and it's equally good. Ok, I admit I used frozen pie shells from the supermarket, despite usually making them myself. But it was really fine in the end. I'll let Chicken Two give you the particulars about how the whole thing's made, but here are some tips I figured out along the way. First, you must bake the crust in advance. For that you need pie weights to keep the dough from becoming a giant bubble in the oven. You can use official pie weights, for sure, but I used rice. You can also use dry beans. Line the crust with foil or parchment first and don't try to cook the rice or beans for a meal afterward: There is a whole lotta garlic in this tart. By the time it's cooked a couple of times with various enhancing ingredients, it's mild and delicious and totally palatable. The downside is you have to peel three heads of it to start. Therefore, I recommend using this handy tool, a rubber garlic peeler that Chicken Two gave me. Check out her Poop from the Coop blog for a review of this useful kitchen gadget: When you cook the garlic you must reduce the liquid to a syrupy consistency. You can tell it's at the right stage when it doesn't immediately rush to cover the pan's bottom when you scrape it away with a wooden spoon: Cheddar is one of the main flavors in the tart. Therefore, spring for a mature, aged, white cheddar. I found mine at the Italian gourmet supermarket near here (read, mecca):   It will look as though there is too much spinach in the dish before you pour in the custard. But the liquid seeps down into the leaves and turns out to be just enough. Unless your dish is too shallow! I wonder if there will ever be a way to give blog readers a taste of a recipe. If so, rush to this one first - it's really fantastic! It's creamy and moist with several compatible flavors prominent in the dish. It's also very pretty. Check out the marbling caused by the spinach in the dish: You can serve it warm or chilled. It's a great brunch item that you can make in advance. If you use a disposable pie tin, it's very portable; you can take it to your next pot-luck.

From Chicken Two: This recipe was a true surprise, unlike what I expected when I started out. My daughter-in-law had a copy of bon appetit and, though it looked complicated, we decided to give it a shot. It was much easier than it looked!.. After peeling tons of garlic …three heads to be exact. Boil until tender (about 3 min.) Cook in heated oil until they turn brown, drain, then add vinegar and 1 cup water and bring to a      boil. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is tender, 10–12 minutes.  Add maple syrup, rosemary and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and coats garlic, about 5 minutes.  Scatter cheese over crust...   Whisk together crème fraîche, cream, and remaining eggs in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pour over spinach. Add garlic and its syrup. Bake for 35 minutes, until custard is set. Enjoy! SNAFU Alert: The second time I made this, I didn't have a 9-inch, deep-dish pie pan, so I tried a smaller, less deep pan. The custard spilled over into the oven and, without as much filling, the pie was almost solid garlic. Ok, it tasted great, but looked very odd and the custard is a big part of this recipe, so it was missed! The right pan is essential, in my humble opinion!

Carmelized Garlic, Spinach and Cheddar Tart Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tart/pie crust
• 5 large eggs
• 3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 ounces (about 2 cups) sharp white cheddar, grated
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 

Directions:

1. Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350°. 
2. Line dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake until crust is dry around edge, 25–30 minutes. 
3. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Remove parchment and weights and brush entire crust with egg. Bake until crust is dry and set, 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 
4. Meanwhile, cook garlic in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes; drain. 
5. Wipe saucepan dry and heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until cloves start to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is tender, 10–12 minutes. Add maple syrup, rosemary, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and coats garlic, about 5 minutes. 
6. Scatter cheese over crust; top with spinach. 
7. Whisk together crème fraîche, cream, and remaining eggs in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pour over spinach. Add garlic and its syrup. 
8. Bake until custard is set and golden brown in spots, 35–40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 
9. Serve warm or cold.