Cottage Cheese Spinach Tart

More recipe catch-up:

In February we celebrated Julie's birthday with a ladies lunch. The menu consisted of artichoke-chicken salad, roasted red pepper hummus with pita points and this cottage cheese spinach tart. Julie single-handedly made everything but the hummus.

When I asked if I could help with the tart my adorably totalitarian aunt told me to take pictures. Technically, I participated.


COTTAGE CHEESE SPINACH TART

MARTHA STEWART'S PATE BRISEE:
(Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Roll it out 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface, and fit it into a 9-inch flan pan with a removable fluted rim. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork and chill the shell for 30 minutes. Line the shell with parchment paper, fill the paper with raw rice, and bake the shell on a baking sheet in the lower third of a preheated hot (425) oven for 15 minutes. Remove the rice and the paper carefully, bake the shell for 10 minutes more, or until it is golden and let it cool on a rack.

FILLING (From an old school Gourmet):
4 large eggs
1 tomato
1 1/2 cups creamed cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup onion
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup spinach, well squeezed
1/4 cup milk
nutmeg
salt
pepper

In a skillet cook 1/3 cup m inced onion in 2 Tb unsalted butter over moderate heat, stirring for 2 m inutes, or until it is softened. Add ½ cup cooked and well squeezed and chopped spinach and cook the mixture, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in ¼ cup milk and nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and let the mixture cool.

In a bowl beat together 4 large eggs, 1 ½ cups creamed cottage cheese and ½ cup freshly grated parmesan and stir in the spinach mixture. Pour the mixture into the shell, arrange thin slices of tomato over the top completely covering it and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Dot the filling with 1 Tb unsalted butter and bake the tart in a preheated moderate oven (350) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the tart cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.