Equipment
Ingredients
Flaky Pastry
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g unsalted butter, cubed and ice cold
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 60 ml ice water
Caramelized Endive
- 4 endive, halved lengthwise
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 5 g granulated sugar
- 2 g fresh thyme, leaves only
Cheese Custard
- 120 g vegetarian gruyere cheese, grated
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 g ground nutmeg
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 401 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 23 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 389 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 18 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 130 mg
- Potassium
- 279 mg
- Calcium
- 214 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 24 mg
- Phosphorus
- 177 mg
- Zinc
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 351 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 147 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.10 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 104 mcg
- Water
- 98 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and sea salt. Rub the cold, cubed unsalted butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Drizzle in the ice water and gently bring the dough together.
Form the dough into a flat disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate to rest and chill the butter.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place the halved endives cut-side down in the pan. Sprinkle with sugar and fresh thyme. Cook until the cut sides are deeply caramelized, about 10 minutes. Flip gently and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough with a rolling pin to a 3mm thickness. Carefully transfer the dough to a 23cm tart pan, pressing it gently into the corners without stretching. Trim the excess edges.
Place the lined tart pan in the refrigerator to relax the gluten and firm up the butter before baking.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line the chilled tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, then bake for another 5 minutes until the bottom is dry and pale golden.
While the crust bakes, use a whisk to combine the heavy cream, eggs, salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg in a clean mixing bowl.
Reduce the oven temperature to 175°C/350°F. Sprinkle the grated vegetarian gruyere cheese evenly over the bottom of the warm, blind-baked crust. Arrange the caramelized endive halves in a circular pattern on top of the cheese. Pour the egg and cream custard carefully over the filling.
Bake the assembled tart at 175°C/350°F until the custard is puffed and lightly golden, and the center barely jiggles when the pan is gently shaken.
Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to rest in the pan to set the custard completely before slicing and serving.
Chef's Notes
- Endive has a natural bitterness that is beautifully mellowed by slow, patient caramelization and the addition of a tiny pinch of sugar.
- For the flakiest crust, ensure your butter and water are ice cold. Visible shards of butter in the raw dough will translate to steam pockets and flaky layers during baking.
- Blind baking is crucial for a liquid-heavy custard filling. It acts as a waterproof seal, preventing the dreaded soggy bottom.
- If you cannot find vegetarian gruyere, a high quality vegetarian swiss cheese or comte makes an excellent substitute.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent the pastry from absorbing moisture.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze individual slices wrapped tightly. Reheat directly from frozen.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175°C/350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to recrisp the crust.
Troubleshooting
Soggy bottom crust
Cause: The crust was not blind baked thoroughly before adding the liquid custard.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked
Prevention: Ensure the blind baked crust is completely dry to the touch and lightly golden before removing it from the initial bake.
Shrinking pastry edges
Cause: The dough was stretched while lining the pan or not chilled long enough before baking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked
Prevention: Gently lift and press the dough into the pan corners instead of pushing or stretching it, and always chill before baking.
Cultural Context
Savory tarts have long been a versatile staple of French home cooking. The prominent use of endive brings a distinct Northern French and Belgian influence to the dish, highlighting the regional culinary tradition of balancing bitter winter greens with rich, comforting dairy.
