It seems that the hotter it gets here in Montreal, the less we feel like writing about all the great food we’re making at home. And I’m afraid that problem won’t be solved in the near future…we are soon off to visit Iles-de-la-Madeleine, about to stuff our face with lobster, mussels, scallops and clams. We haven’t left on a vacation in a few years, and haven’t smelled the ocean air in even longer, so this is an exiting adventure we’re really looking forward to. We’ll come back with plenty of lobster tales (pun so obviously intended!).

But for now, here’s a quick breakfast Soli whipped up one day. If you have the makings for a traditional eggs ‘n bacon breakfast, as well as some puff pastry, then this is a snap to make, and is amazingly good. A good breakfast tart is a wonderful thing to wake up to!

For this breakfast tart, we used some quality bacon, fiddleheads, mushroom, cheese and eggs. The end result was perfectly cooked eggs, slightly bitter fiddleheads, creamy goat cheese and sauteed mushrooms atop a flaky puff pastry crust. This recipe is extremely versatile though; substitute any ingredient with your own preference.

Could breakfast get any better? Oh! Yes, it can. Drizzle with maple syrup when you’re done and it’s ready to eat.

Breakfast Tart with Fiddleheads, Mushrooms, Bacon and Cheese
adapted from Yum Sugar

1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
4 oz. cheese (we used a decadent goat cheese)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 bacon slices, cooked until crisp
4 eggs
1 tbsp butter
1 cup fiddleheads
1 cup sliced mushrooms

1. Thaw the puff pastry dough according to the package instructions.

2. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

3. On lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into a 10-by-8-inch rectangle. Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Using a paring knife, score a border 1/2 inch in from the edge of the pastry. Using a fork, prick the center of the pastry. Brush the border with the egg wash and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4. Saute fiddleheads and mushrooms in the butter until soft.

5. Place the toppings (bacon, fiddleheads, mushrooms, goat cheese) on the tart crust. Bake the tart for 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a level heatproof surface. Using a fork, prick any large air pockets in the pastry. Crack the eggs onto the tart, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 7 to 10 minutes.

6. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve immediately.

When my mom and sister returned from Paris this spring, they came bearing the gift of blue cheese – and lots of it! Now, I like blue cheese, but there’s no way I can devour a slab of it as is; I much prefer having it in a dish. I searched for something to make with this fine French blue, and finally stumbled upon this recipe for a tart made with pears, spinach, onions, and of course, lots of blue cheese. I was entranced.

This is a really playful combination of flavours. You have to be a major blue cheese fan to like this tart, as that is the predominant taste. However, all the other ingredients really pop out in the background: the pears are a nice, light sweetness, the spinach softens the bite of the blue cheese, and the onions bring in another, different element of sweetness. I think this tart is excellent, and it improves as it cools (warm or cold, it’s delicious!).

I would make some changes to the recipe though, and am writing it out in the way I will try next time. I used a tart pan (after all, it was called a tart!), but there was faaaaar too much egg/milk mixture for this. I ended up using about half of it before it started to overflow. I will definitely add more spinach, as I would’ve liked a stronger spinach taste, to even out the blue cheese a bit more. And I’ll definitely be using fresh pears, not canned, next time. The canned is okay, but they lost a lot of their pear flavour in the baking process, and I wasn’t fond of the texture (just a bit too mushy). Fresh pears will make this perfect.

Oh, and I used a pie crust mix, and didn’t make it from scratch, so this recipe is just for the filling. When it comes to tarts, I don’t think the trouble of making a crust from scratch is worth it, as you barely taste it. Also, I forgot to add the pepper and salt to the milk/egg mixture, and I don’t even notice it missing…

Pear, Spinach & Blue Cheese Tart
adapted from Our House
Printable Recipe

2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (398ml) pear halves
1 bunch of spinach (definitely use more than less)
150g strong blue cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

1. Prepare a tart crust and line a 9″ tart pan with the crust. Refrigerate for at least 30minutes.

2. Chop the onions and cook until golden brown in the butter. Put the onions into a sieve to drain off the butter.

3. Drain the pears and cut the halves in half.

4. Wash the spinach well and cook in a little water for a minute, immediately drain and plunge into cold water. Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and chop roughly.

5. Crumble the blue cheese.

6. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper and set aside.

7. To assemble the tart, spread the onions on the bottom, then the spinach, arrange the pears around the edge and lastly the blue cheese all over the tart. Fill with egg mixture and sprinkle the top with the parmesan.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 390 degrees C for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

If you like this, you might also like:

Tomato Tart
Asparagus and Mushroom Bread Pudding
Spanakopita

I hope everyone had happy and peaceful holidays! I ended up doing some baking (but no photos, so unfortunately, no posts), taking care of a sick cat, and packing. I’m sorry to say goodbye to the holidays, but looking forward to the new year.

I received More from Magnolia as a Christmas present this year, and have been very excited to make something from it. Of course, I wanted the famous cupcakes to be my first, but unfortunately, didn’t have any self-rising flour at home, so I ended up going with this recipe, as it meant not having to leave the house on a cold, wintery day.

I am not crazy about it. It’s okay, but it’s lacking something. I find it extremely sweet – too much so. Next time, I’ll definitely cut the sugar in the topping. The hazelnuts were definitely a hit though, a touch of sweetness and nuttiness.

The filling was okay, but the apples didn’t stand out at all. I would add some cinnamon to the filling next time, and probably more apples.

As for the crust – again, it was just okay. Soli swears his piece had a bitter taste in the crust, but I don’t taste that at all. It’s a typical crust that stands up well to the filling.

If you like super sweet apple desserts, you’d probably like this. As for me, I’m hoping the cupcakes turn out better!

Apple Tart with Hazelnut Brown Sugar Topping
adapted from More from Magnolia

BROWN SUGAR TOPPING
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts

FILLING
3 cups thinly sliced tart apples
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CRUST
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

TOPPING
1. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.

2. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the hazelnuts and, using your hands, toss until all the ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

FILLING
1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently until the fruit is evenly coated. Set aside.

CRUST
1. In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.

2. Add the egg and egg yolk, and mix well. Add the flour and baking powder, and beat just until combined.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to fit a 10-inch tart pan. Fit the dough into the pan and trim the edge flush with the rim of the pan.

4. Transfer the fruit filling into the crust and sprinkle the borwn sugar topping evenly over the fruit. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes in a 325 degree F oven.

5. Cool on a wire rack for 1 – 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Every Wednesday, the local newspaper here prints a food section, full of recipes, stories and other fun food-related things. A few weeks ago, this section was all about French cooking, and featured this stunning tomato tart recipe, taken from Recettes en Aveyron, a cookbook by René Husson and Philippe Galmiche and published in France.

Being a tomato-lover, I had to make it. Given that it’s the end of the tomato season, I figured there’s no better time. Oh, and I bought my first tart pan ever this past weekend, so I was all set. And wow, what a beautiful thing this was.

It tasted absolutely wonderful. Its flavours were dynamic and rich, but still simple. You definitely want to use sweet, tasty tomatoes – if not, I have a feeling this tart would fall flat. The tomatoes take centre stage, so if you like tomatoes and have some really ripe, in-season ones, you’ll love the tart.

The mustard on the bottom adds a depth to the flavours, and the two types of cheeses blend perfectly. Some tomatoes, a little bit of parsley, and you’re done – a tart delicious and beautiful enough to serve with any meal you may be having.

I made a few changes with the recipe, so here’s the original with my alterations in italics.

Tomato Tart or Tarte à la tomate
Adapted from Recettes en Aveyron by René Husson and Philippe Galmiche

1 unbaked pie shell, 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter
3 large or 5 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled, and their peel (Peeling them is necessary – don’t skip this step!)
1 tablespoon (15 mL) Dijon mustard (I used Keen’s hot mustard, and more than a tbsp)
200 grams (2 cups/500 mL shredded firm cheese*) (I used about 1 1/2 cups fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons (30 mL) crumbled blue cheese
Olive oil

*Aged cheddar or other strong, white cheese.

1. Drop tomatoes one at a time into a large pot of boiling water, remove after 30 seconds with a slotted spoon (and place in an ice bath) and peel will come off easily. Save peel and chop it. Slice peeled tomatoes thickly, about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.

2. Spread bottom of pie shell with mustard.

3. Spread cheese over mustard.

4. Arrange tomato slices in overlapping circles on cheese.

5. Insert chopped peel between slices. (I skipped this step, and I am happy I did. I don’t think chopped peel would’ve been the right thing in here at all!)

6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, parsley and blue cheese. Drizzle with a little oil.

7. Bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees F (200 C) for 30 minutes. Serve warm.