Swiss Chard, Ricotta & Gruyere Tart with Buckwheat Pie Crust

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This tart is quickly becoming my go to for gatherings, potlucks, and hosting. It can be made ahead of time and then reheated (and also easily transported) and anything with lots of melted cheese is generally a crowd pleaser. A few other perks: it’s vegetarian, yet meat eaters will also be digging into it; it sneaks in a whole bunch of greens so it has some vegetables; and its flaky pie crust will distinguish it from typical sides brought to a gathering. It’s also flexible enough you can do it in a sheet pan (see below) or a pie dish (see above).

Swiss Chard, Ricotta & Gruyere Tart with Buckwheat Pie Crust
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer, 4 as a meal
Adapted from Food 52

  • 1 bunch of Swiss chard (500g) (spinach would probably would work well here too)

  • 1/2 white or vidalia onion, sliced thinly (optional)

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Sea Salt

  • 3-4 ounces gruyere, shredded

  • 2 ounces, goat Cheese, crumbled (you can also do Marscapone or another cheese of your choice)

  • 6 ounces Part Skim Ricotta

  • buckwheat pie dough (see below) or other pie crust of your choice

Saute Swiss chard and onion with garlic, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt until wilted, about 10 minutes. When sauteeing, use a large, deep skillet- it will look like A LOT of swiss chard when raw, but it will cook down dramatically. It’s also okay for the swiss chard to stack on itself- sometimes I will add in a tablespoon of water and cover the pan to quickly steam and have it reduce in size, and then remove the cover and continue to saute. It should be wilted and dramatically reduced in size when done. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out pie crust. You can choose to roll this out into a rectangular shape onto a sheet pan, or a circular shape and put into a pie dish (see pictures). I’ve done both and they both worked well.

Spread out the ricotta onto the pie crust into an even layer. Top with the Swiss chard, then the gruyere and goat cheese. Season lightly with sea salt. Bake until cheese is fully melted, just beginning to brown and pie crust is cooked, about 35-40 minutes.

Buckwheat Pie Crust

I’ve played around a decent amount with this pie crust- the ratio of all purpose flour to buckwheat is important- I’ve found that this ratio works best both for flavor (so you get the nutty flavor of buckwheat, but it’s not overpowering) and texture (the gluten in the all purpose flour is needed so it doesn’t crumble apart). This recipe will make enough for two pies- I generally always like to do a whole batch. The dough stays in the fridge for at least a few days. Having this ready in the fridge makes it easy and quick to make a quick quiche or pie.

  • 168g all purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)

  • 120g buckwheat flour (1 cup)

  • 1 cup butter, diced and very cold

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

  • 6-8 tablespoons ice water

You can chose to do this by hand or by food processor. I’ve done both and still am a bit undecided on which one I like best. I think the butter is more evenly and precisely distributed by hand (and you don’t have to clean up the food processor), cutting the butter using a pastry cutter can be a bit monotonous and tiring, which is when the food processor comes in handy.

Food Processor Method: Combine flours and sea salt in a large bowl (if doing by hand) or food processor.
Add in butter and pulse continuously until the butter is the size of peas. With the food processor running, slowly add in ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time. I generally add in about four tablespoons, and then check the dough to see how much it has come together. After four, add in water gradually and check after each tablespoon. The dough should just come together and not crumble, but also not be wet. Divide dough in half. Use immediately or place in fridge, wrapped, until use.

By Hand Method: Combine flours and sea salt in a large bowl (if doing by hand) or food processor. If doing by hand, add in butter and using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until it is the size of peas- this will take a few minutes. Slowly add in ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time. I generally add in about four tablespoons, and then check the dough to see how much it has come together. After four, add in water gradually and check after each tablespoon. The dough should just come together and not crumble, but also not be wet. Divide dough in half. Use immediately or place in fridge, wrapped, until use.

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