Tarts for Your Holiday (Or Any Other Time)

Try this unique side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.

Dating back to the Early Middle Ages, tarts are basically an open-topped, baked dish consisting of filling in a pastry base. Early tarts generally had meat fillings, but today many are made with fruit and custard. A quiche is also a popular form of tart.

At the Co-op, two popular tarts are Goat Cheese and Bacon and Italian Sausage. Unique, hearty, and delicious, they’re especially good for holiday entertaining or as a side dish with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Make them at home using the recipes below. Pairing recommendations: food, cocktails, people, and an appetite. 

Goat Cheese and Bacon Tart

Makes 12 tarts

24 oz.  pie crust dough
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 lb. Spanish onion, diced small
1 lb. radishes, diced small
1/2 lb. slab bacon, diced small
4 Tbs. canola oil
2 Tbs. ground fennel seed
1 tsp.  salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb.  plain chèvre cheese, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg, well beaten
2 Tbs. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Steam butternut squash approximately 5 minutes.  Toss onion, radishes, bacon, oil, cooked squash, and spices together and place in baking dish. Roast  at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.  Cool. Mix cream and goat cheese together. Fold roasted vegetable mixture into cheese and cream. Cut pie crust into 2 oz. pieces and roll out into rounds. Place 2 oz. of filling mixture in center of crust and flatten slightly.  Crimp the crust over filling all around, leaving some filling showing in the center. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Mix egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush it on the top of the crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until crust is well-browned.

Italian Sausage Tart

Makes 20 tarts

40 oz. pie crust dough
16 oz. ricotta cheese
2  large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1-1/4 lbs. Italian sausage, removed from casing, crumbled, cooked and cooled
1 tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups  shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/4 cups pizza sauce 1 egg, well beaten
2 Tbs. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut pie crust into 2 oz. pieces and roll out into rounds. Combine ricotta, eggs, milk, Romano cheese, sausage, salt and pepper, and half of the mozzarella. Place 2 oz. of the filling mixture in the center of the crust. Flatten slightly and top with 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce and 1 tablespoon of mozzarella. Crimp the crust over filling all around, leaving some filling showing in the center.  Mix egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush it on the top of the crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until crust is well-browned.

(Co-op Chef Jason Dacier contributed to this post.)

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Ken Davis

Ken Davis is the Co-op's senior copywriter. Email him at kdavis@coopfoodstore.com.