Garden My Way

In a winter and early spring vegetable garden before the new plantings start to produce, leeks and Swiss chard are the shinning stars of the garden. Wintered over from last year and on the last lag of their journey, they can still provide a burst of flavor. The leeks are sending out scapes for seeds, but are still very much eatable; Swiss chard is ready to flower and go to seeds, but there are still plenty good leaves left to cook with. The seed heads tend to be a little bitter, blanching can remove the bitterness. This dish takes advantages of these vegetables, is easy to make, yet elegant and delicious. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Crust:
6 T. Butter
3/4 C. flour
1 t. salt
Enough ice water for form a dough
Cut butter into flour until it forms a mealy consistency, add salt, stir. Add ice water and stir until it forms a nice stiff ball. Do not over knead. Wrap the dough up with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place it on a sheet of plastic, then place another piece of plastic on top. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin. Roll it out to a thin sheet. Transfer the sheet onto a tart pan. Press the sheet around the edge to fit the tart pan.

Filling:
3 large eggs or 4 medium eggs
1/2 C. half and half
1/4 C. skim milk
1 C. aged sharp Cheddar cheese, or any other flavored cheese you prefer
1/4 C. Brie cheese or cream cheese, cut into small chunks
Vegetables:
1/2 C. thinly sliced potatoes, then cut into strips
1 C. Swiss chard, blanched, (yield 3/4 C. also)
1/4 C. thinly sliced leek
Seasoning:
1/8 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. granulated onion flakes
a pinch of fresh grounded nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
1 sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 sprigs of fresh oregano, finely chopped
Method: Combine all filling ingredients together, pour into the tart pans with pre-formed crust. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425 F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F, continue to bake for another 30minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.