This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm, Fair Valley Farm, and Tiger Lily Art Company:
Asian pears and Sansa apples from SLO Farm (make Asian pear and cutting celery salad)
peaches and Bartlett pears from the Columbia Gorge
corn and a new crop of green beans (make this corn and chard pudding)
pepperoncini, poblanos, red hot cherries, anaheim chiles, and assorted pepper bargain bags
eggplants, fresh spring garlic, and onions (make a roasted eggplant salad)
cucumbers and zucchini (make some tsukemono pickles)
carrots, cabbage, and kohlrabi (make kohlrabi and carrot salad with harissa)
French sorrel and cutting celery
new potatoes and beets (grill in packets)
fresh herbs including dill, parsley, basil, and cilantro (garnish for lettuce wraps)
bietola, kale, chard, and a variety of lettuces (make this corn and chard pudding)
dried beans and grains from Camus Country Mill (make falafel)
jams, salsa, and pickles from Sweet Creek Foods
pastured chickens from Fair Valley Farm (make chicken and saffron rice)
Suppose, hypothetically, that you are invited to a Thursday evening potluck and, with your vegetable crisper overflowing with your Sunday farmers market haul, you optimistically sign up to bring a Chard and Saffron Tart (p. 243 of Deborah Madison's The Green's Cookbook). Inevitably, you will realize that the first step of the recipe -- preparing the yeasted tart dough (p. 237) -- is not a realistic midweek activity. If you were to find yourself in this predicament, I would suggest that you flip to the Corn Pudding on p. 251 for inspiration and reassurance that you can make a perfectly nice tart without the crust (like a savory clafouti). Madison's corn pudding is especially delicate and light because rather than flour for thickening, she simply uses blended fresh corn kernels. I used this same strategy, but included sauteed sweet onions and chard. The end result was very tasty, it came together easily, baking during Thursday morning breakfast, and made a nice big pan for feeding a crowd.
Savory Corn and Chard Pudding
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 large onion
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 ears of corn
4 eggs
1/2 pint cream
4 ounces grated cheese (I used a combination of gruyere, sharp cheddar, and a little parmesan)
salt and pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 gratin pan with a little olive oil.
2. Peel and dice the onion. Trim and discard the thickest stems from the chard and then slice the leaves into thin strips. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil. Saute the onions until soft. Add the chard and a pinch of salt and saute until just wilted. Transfer to the gratin pan.
3. Grate the cheese (you could use a food processor for this). Peel the corn and cut off the kernels. Sprinkle 3/4 cup kernels over the chard and then sprinkle over all the grated cheese.
4. Transfer the remaining corn kernels to a blender or food processor along with the eggs, cream, and a generous pinch of salt and grinding of pepper. Blend until smooth. Pour the corn slurry over the contents of the gratin pan and spread with a spatula so that the chard and cheese are completely covered.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the top is nicely golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
1 comment:
Since I've made the original, I must say adding some greens and some sharper cheese sounds like a wonderful iteration. The original is quite mild but this sounds like it has some heft to it!
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