Caramelized Garlic Spinach And Cheddar Tart Food

CARAMELIZED GARLIC, SPINACH, AND CHEDDAR TART

Steps:

• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350°. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 14" round. Transfer to a 9"-diameter pie dish. Lift up edge and let dough slump down into dish. Trim, leaving about 1" overhang. Fold overhang under. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roll out second disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8" thick. Cut into 1/4"-thick strips. Transfer to a parchment&151;lined baking sheet. If dough is soft, chill until just pliable. Working with 3 strips at a time, braid dough, returning braids to baking sheet as you go. Chill until just pliable.
• Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Brush edge of dough in dish and bottom sides of braids with egg. Arrange braids along edge, trimming and gently pressing sections together as you go. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Line dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is dry around edge, 25-30 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and brush entire crust with egg. Bake until crust is dry and set, 10-15 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, cook garlic in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes; drain. Wipe saucepan dry and heat oil in pan over medium-high. 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. Scatter cheese over crust; top with spinach. Whisk crème fraîche, cream, and remaining eggs in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pour over spinach. Add garlic with any syrup. Bake until custard is set and golden brown in spots, 35-40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

CARAMELIZED GARLIC TART

Steps:

• Roll out puff pastry into a 16-inch circle. Fit puff pastry into an 11-by-1 1/2-inch round fluted pan with a removable bottom. Place a parchment paper-round on top of puff pastry; top with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to refrigerator; chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer tart shell to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake until pastry is golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Place garlic cloves in a small saucepan filled with water. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer; simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and return cloves to saucepan. Add olive oil and place saucepan over high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fried, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and 1 cup water; bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar, rosemary, chopped thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue simmering over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and garlic is coated in a dark caramelized syrup, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Break both goat cheeses into pieces and scatter in tart shell; spoon garlic cloves and syrup over cheese. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, cream, creme fraiche, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese and garlic filling, making sure the cheese and garlic are still visible.
• Transfer tart to oven and bake until tart filling is set and top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing tart from pan. Trim tart as necessary and garnish with thyme sprigs; serve.