Here is a delicious veggie tart with a really simple crumbly crust. This is sure to be a hit at any pot luck.
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, cubed and chilled
3 Tbsp sour cream
4-6 Tbsp ice water
2 medium onions, sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium leek, cleaned and diced
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 egg
1/4 cup light cream
1 bunch asparagus, bases trimmed 1/4-inch
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or powdered if necessary)
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
Make the dough. Pulse the flours and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times just until the butter is the size of peas. Add the sour cream and a tablespoon water. Pulse a few times. Add another tablespoon water and pule a few times, only JUST until you have a dough that sticks together. Repeat with more water ONLY if the dough really is not sticking together. This will depend on your weather and your flour - don’t worry, roll with it.
Turn dough into a 10-inch tart pan (one with a removable bottom, ideally).
It is helpful to top the dough with plastic wrap to finish the pressing process.
Heat oven to 350F, and refrigerate the plastic-wrapped dough for 20 minutes. PS look at the pic and see the BIG pieces of butter!
Sauté the onions in the butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stir often, and watch often. Add the leeks and the water and cook, stirring often, until the water boils off.
Continue sautéing for a few minutes until everything is soft and nicely caramelizing a bit. Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.
After 20 minutes in the fridge, remove plastic wrap from dough, prick bottom of crust in several areas, and bake in oven for about 15 minutes or so, until starting to brown. Remove crust to stove top. Gently press dough down if it puffs up.
Meanwhile, heat water in a steamer. Peel the bases of the asparagus with a carrot peeler if they are tough (I almost always do, except for the thinnest of asparagus - see note). Cut asparagus in about half and separate tops from the base. Cut the bases into 1/2 to 3/4-inch dice.
Steam asparagus bases for about 3-5 minutes. Add tops and steam another minute or two.
Remove to air-cool asparagus a bit and separate the tops.
Whisk the egg and cream together in a medium bowl. Add the onion-leek mixture along with the asparagus bases. Add the nutmeg and season with a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
Tip the egg mixture onto the crust.
Top with the asparagus tops and the sun-dried tomatoes. Spray with a dash of olive oil, just lightly. I place the tart on a roasting pan, just in case of drips.
Bake tart for about 30 minutes, watching carefully, until it is nicely browned, and bubbly, but not burnt.
Transfer tart to a serving platter and slice.
Cook’s Notes: I agree with Jacques Pepin that the thickest asparagus tend to be the tastiest. But then, they need to be peeled at the base. Small price to pay. And honestly, the thin ones seem to have very stalky-tough bases anyway, these days… What gives? I go for the thickest, now.
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