Creamed Corn Tart

 

I decided to make a quiche to use up some of the corn I had bought in March.  I bought havarti for it because it was on sale, then went looking for recipes.  All the Southern ones use whole kernel corn and cheddar.  Fine, I decided to go off on my own and make a vaguely French version of a corn and cheese pie.

My pot of tarragon never did well.  I picked the only surviving sprig and hung it up on the knob I usually dry basil on.  The same day, I moved the chives indoors to the kitchen greenhouse window, where they are finally flourishing.  I'll try that with the tarragon when it comes time to seed it again.  Even though it's Mexican tarragon, not French, I decided to use it as the herb for this pie.

I'm using the pâté brisée recipe for the crust, but subbing in some of my excess wheat flour.  I'm making progress.  There's still half a gallon of it in the freezer though.

For the Crust

1 C flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 C butter or margarine, cut in chunks
1 egg
1-2 Tb cold water

1.  Either in a bowl or food processor, combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter about halfway.  Add the egg and pulse or cut into a crumbly mess.  Add 1 Tb water at a time until it just barely holds together.

2.  Pour out onto a work surface and knead a couple of strokes into a ball without adding any more flour or water.  Wrap in wax paper and chill 2 hours.

3.  Roll out chilled dough on a floured surface and place in either a tart pan or large pie pan.  I remembered to take a photo this time.  Chill until ready to use.

Filling and Assembly

*1 14 oz can cream style sweet corn
*1/2 C half-and-half
3 eggs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
*1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
4 oz Havarti cheese, preferably shredded, but finely chopped is ok

1.  Preheat oven to 400º.  In a bowl, whisk together corn, half-and-half, eggs, salt, and pepper.

2.  I prefer to put the other fillings in the crust before the custard, so I can see that they are evenly distributed.  Sprinkle onion, 3/4 of the cheese, and tarragon in chilled crust.

3.  Pour custard over onion and cheese, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 400º for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 375º and bake another 35-40 minutes, until set and crust is golden.

4.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving, especially if it's in a removable-bottom tart pan and you plan to put it on a pretty platter.  Can also be served chilled, and is a good do-ahead for brunch the next day.

Makes one pie, 4-6 main servings or up to 10 as a side.

Difficulty rating  :)