Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

While scooting around the grocery store the other day in my motorized cart (Still have difficulty walking with this sprain), I decided to load up with some convenience foods.  To me, convenience food means frozen vegetables, ready made pie crusts, salad greens, ground beef, hamburger buns and Rao’s marinara sauce.  I am on my own for the next two weeks so I can indulge in my preferences.  I love savory pastry dishes and a galette is nothing more than a free form rustic tart.

In my effort to be somewhat healthy, I combined frozen baby kale, sauteed red onions, and frozen cubed carrots in a filling for my Pillsbury pastry round.  I actually added a small amount of left over spicy sausage, but it could be left out.  What is so great about this type of meal is that you can use anything that you like in the filling.

Cooking for one does not have to be an unpleasant experience.  I see pasta marinara and grilled hamburgers in my future.  But that’s after I finish this lovely galette with my salad greens.  It might take me a while.

KALE AND RED ONION GALETTE

1 12oz. package frozen baby kale, thawed and squeezed dry
1 large red onion, halved and sliced into half rounds
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Alexia’s frozen organic cubed carrots, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 round of Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough
1 beaten egg for egg wash, mix with a little water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Saute’ red onion in the oil in a medium size frying pan.  Turn to low and cook slowly until the onions are soft and slightly caramelized.  Add the dried kale and the carrots.  Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Let cool slightly.

Place the pastry round on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Mound the filling in the middle of the pastry leaving at least a 1-inch border.  Fold the pastry over the filling, pleating as you go.  Brush the pastry with the egg wash.

Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

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I am still enthralled with Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France, so bear with me for another recipe from this astounding cookbook.  To quote Mimi, ” I always have a big bowl of onions on my kitchen table in various shades and sizes.  To me they are as beautiful as any vase of flowers and as necessary as running water or a working stove”.  This tart transforms the essential onion into an even more beautiful presentation.  Besides that, it is easy.

I used a store-bought puff pastry for the crust.  The combination of slow cooked onions, balsamic vinegar, honey and bacon make for a flavorful topping.  I would even consider serving this cut into small pieces as an appetizer for Thanksgiving.

Mimi made her tart in a 10-inch round tart pan.  I have this 7.5″ x 11.5″ rectangular pan that I thought made it very festive.  Although I loved this tart there are a few changes I would make next time.  I thought the amount of oil, butter and bacon grease made it a bit too full of fat.  Also if your tart pan has a removable bottom, I would put it on a cookie sheet because the fat leaked out of the bottom.  But the flavor was sublime.  This is the kind of dish that I would choose for a light supper with a salad and a glass of wine or as the aforementioned appetizer.

ONION TART

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling ( I would suggest 1 tablespoon )
2 tablespoons unsalted butter ( I would suggest 1 tablespoon )
3 1/2 ounces bacon, cut into lardons or diced
1 pound onions, thinly sliced ( I used 3 onions )
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
All-purpose flour for rolling the dough
8 ounces puff pastry, homemade or store-bought

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and fry until browned, about 3 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium-low, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Add the honey, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, increase the heat to high, and boil to reduce for 2 to 3 minutes.  Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick.  Line a 10-inch tart pan with the pastry and prick the bottom several times with a fork.  Trim the edges.  Scoop the onion mixture into the tart shell.  ( Place on baking sheet ).  Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with olive oil ( If needed ) and serving.

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It is so good to be back in the North Carolina Mountains.  There is nothing more beautiful.  Our timing for the trip back was perfect.  The temperatures have been even warmer than in Florida.  The only downside to being back is the amount of work that we are facing.  Because of the brutal winter, we had to deal with cracked water pipes; no water for the first couple of days.  There are leaves to be raked, downed limbs to be hauled, porches to be cleaned and fresh paint needed in several places.  But one of the first areas I tackled was the upper porch.  It is warm enough for meals out there overlooking the lake.  I made this asparagus tart for lunch yesterday to celebrate our good weather.

This is very simple to pull together if you have sheets of puff pastry in your freezer.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  It came from Nicole at Heat Oven to 350.   You may want to visit her blog to see instructions on how to shape the pastry.  The filling in the tart is a mixture of ricotta cheese, egg and cream.  The asparagus is not blanched ahead of time, but if you have large stalks, you may want to consider doing it.

Relaxing on the porch for lunch was a good respite from the tasks at hand.  The asparagus tart was light and delicious.  I served it with leftover corn and black beans with picante sauce.

This was a wonderfully flaky tart with a mild and creamy filling that supported the vibrant green asparagus.  The recipe makes two tarts.  One tart can be cut into 4 pieces to serve four or if that is all you are serving, perhaps two hungry people.  I halved the recipe to make this one tart.

ASPARAGUS TART

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