I’m going to be a new Mama! A chicken Mama. My little baby chicks arrive soon and I’m over the moon excited.
Ranger Craig spent the last few weeks building my super fabulous chicken coop. I think I nearly drove him crazy with my constant requests for additions and changes.
Two levels to roost and two lovely nesting boxes. It’s really more like a chicken spa. 🙂
This all comes on the heels of building two raised beds for growing edibles, with more edibles mixed into the front yard… which is really now a garden.
I’m sure neighbors drive by my house thinking “that’s where the crazy lady lives, the one who thinks she’s a farmer”.
I have a lot more to learn about growing edibles and raising my egg laying hens. One of my inspirations for my little urban farm is my friend and colleague, Janelle, from the most fabulous Urban Farm and Food Blog, Talk of Tomatoes.
Janelle put the farm in urban and has transformed her home into a sustainable, productive and beautiful urban farm. If that isn’t enough, Janelle most recently earned her Master Certificate in Preservation. Ok, so she’s really more of a Super Woman and to top it off her recipes are outstanding. When you have a minute, head on over and check out Talk of Tomatoes.
Soon, my little egg layers will provide me with dozens of beautiful eggs. Beautiful eggs to create beautifully delicious recipes just like this Cambozola and Pear Tart. A savory tart bursting with flavors of Fall. You won’t be able to stop at one slice. 🙂
Cambozola and Pear Tart
I love this tart as a light lunch with a salad of baby greens, starter for a dinner party or simply as an afternoon nibble. I typically don’t post other Chef’s recipes but this particular recipe is just too delicious not to share. Mary Cech is the author of Savory Baking. A brilliant little cookbook of savory baked goods that are “warm and inspiring recipes for crisp, crumbly, flaky pastries”.
Serves 6-8
Tart Dough
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp
¾ teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups walnut pieces, toasted
Filling
4 ounces Cambozola Cheese
3 egg yolks
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1-2 pears, firm but ripe
To prepare the Tart Dough
Put the butter and salt together in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the egg white, and process for another 30 seconds. The egg white should be thoroughly emulsified into the butter and look smooth.
Add the flour and walnuts all at once. Pulse until the walnuts are fine and the dough comes together into a ball, about 1 minute. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead briefly. Pres into a disc about 1 inch thick and wrap in plastic film. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while preparing the filling.
Preheat the oven to 350F and place a 9 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom on a flat baking sheet.
Prepare the Filling
Put the cheese, egg yolks, cream and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour the filling into a container with a spout to make it easy for pouring.
Remove the tart dough from the refrigerator and place on a well-floured surface. Dust the top of the dough generously with flour. Using a rolling pin, carefully roll the dough into a 12 inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust more flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the surface while rolling, if needed.
Slide a flat, rimless baking sheet under the dough and transfer it to the tart pan. (I don’t have a rimless baking sheet so I ended up transferring as carefully as I could and then just pressed it into the tart pan) Center the dough and press it gently into the bottom and sides of the pan. Patch any tears with dough scraps. Trim the top edge of the crust with your fingers or a small knife. Bake until the crust is medium golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300F. Stand the pear upright on a cutting board. With a small paring knife, cut off one side of the pear closest to the core. Turn the pear around to the opposite side and cut off the other side. Then cut off the two small sides of the pear and discard the core. Lay the cut sides on the cutting board and cut each piece of pear into ¼ inch slices. Place the slices on the bottom of the baked shell, overlapping them like shingles.
Carefully pour the custard over the pears and return the pan to the center of the oven. Bake until the custard is set, about 25 minutes. The top should just start to turn golden and the filling will jiggle slightly in the center.
Remove it to a rack and let cool slightly. Remove the ring from the tart, transfer to a serving platter, and serve warm or room temp. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic film and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Remove the tart from the refrigerator, place on a baking sheet, and warm for about 15 minutes at 300F.
Recipe slightly adapted by Mary Cech
Related articles
Urban Farming http://www.urbanfarming.org/
Urban Farm http://www.urbanfarm.org/
- It’s time to get baking (countrylivinged.com)
- July 25 – Cambozola (abigslice.typepad.com)
- A Fruitful Fall: 10 Recipes Made with Pears – Kitchn Recipe Roundup (thekitchn.com)
Yum!!!
Thanks Kristen!!
The coop looks like it will be a wonderful home for your chicks and hens! And yum, the tart looks terrific.
Thank you! I think the little ladies will be quite cozy. 🙂 I do love this tart and the book I found it in. Fantastic! But then again, I do love savory pastry.
Yummy looking tart!
Thanks so much! It’s savory, not sweet and perfectly delightful for lunch today. 🙂
Wow, that is some coop! It looks awesome. I love the window box. Do you read NW Edible Life? Check it out if you’re not reading her already. Erica’s a Seattle blogger and urban farmer. This is a favourite post of hers: http://www.nwedible.com/2012/08/tragedy-healthy-eater.html
Thanks! We love our chicken coop and I can’t wait to get the baby chicks next week. I haven’t browsed NW Edible Life for a while. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
I love the sounds of your ‘crazy’ little home garden, or rather, your farm! Love it Karista! And a delicious recipe too – wonderful, enjoy being a new mama!
Thanks Shira! I grew up on a small farm in the South and miss the space, the large gardens and the animals. I think this is my way of getting a little taste of that back. 🙂
Gorgeous tart. I just picked all our pears. A case for us and some extras for the neighbor. I’ll hold onto this recipe for when they ripen. yum.
This chicken coop is a masterpiece. Rentable in fact on Orcas… at least in the summer 🙂
I’m anxious to get chickens again but will have to hold off till early spring. The neighbors won’t think you are crazy till you get your baby goats for fresh chevre. But even then, Seattle is pretty awesome.
Thanks Wendy! And you have me cracking up! I wish I could rent it out here in Issaquah but no takers. Just the chickens. The building is actually part garden shed and part chicken coop. And I do have some space for baby goats! hahaha! I thought about it, but my husband isn’t so keen on the idea.
I want to come back as a chicken to live at your house – I promise to lay lots and lots of eggs. 😉 Oh Karista, what a magnificent job your hubby has done and the tart looks and sounds positively moreish.
🙂 Mandy
Thanks Mandy! The chicken coop is half garden shed, half chicken coop/hen house. I’ve asked my husband for a year now to build that coop and he finally relented. 😉 He probably wouldn’t admit it, but I think he really enjoyed building it. And our five babies arrive next week. I will of course have to post pictures.
What a great looking tart, but what I adore the most is the chicken coup! Fantastic. A lot better than ours :d Though ours does a great job too. When I’m a little older I think I shall get some of my own, not my parent’s, and make a fabulous coup like that!
Hahaha! I love the tart too but I’m totally in love with my new chicken coop! It’s really half garden shed and half chicken coop/hen house. So it is nicely multi-purpose. And of course, we wanted the little ladies to have a lovely home in which to produce lots of delicious eggs. 🙂 And I think you should have your very own chicken coop with some beautiful Welsh chickens. Would make for some great posts!
Who do I compliment first…you or Ranger Craig. A terrific job by both of you. I’ve just returned to New Hampshire and will be inspecting our orchard today. Hopefully the pears are ripening nicely. This a a great recipe for using some of them.
Thank you Karen! I’m completely in love with my chicken coop! My husband did a great job. It’s amazing the little things in life that can make us happy. 🙂 The tart is so lovely. It’s a savory tart, but the pears add a gentle sweetness that beautifully compliments the Cambozola cheese. I love this for lunch with a salad of mixed baby greens. 🙂 Have a beautiful week back in New Hampshire!
Hmmm.. If I grew up in your house, I’d be asking for that beautiful coop to be my little playhouse/fort!! If I lived there now, it would be “move over chickens, this is my new art studio” lol! That is way to fine for your little chickens.. ok, I take that back, they deserve a beautiful home since they’ll be your new pets. I’m sure you’ll get attached to them and they’ll provide some incredible eggs for you! I wish I could have something like this here, a man fought the city to be allowed to keep chickens and he was denied. Such a shame because I think this is a great sustainable way to live! Love your cambozola, pear and walnuts tart.. gorgeous!! It must have been so yummy!! xx
Thanks Smidge! I must confess, the chicken coop/hen house is half garden shed too. So the little ladies don’t get the whole place to themselves. They have to share. 🙂 My oldest keeps telling us that if she can’t find affordable rent, she’s moving into the garden shed. Hahaha!
I don’t have a lot of space here, in fact, I’m not even considered suburban, but city. About a 12,000 square foot lot on the side of a mountain. It’s an older section of our little town, built back in the 1960’s. So lots are larger and homes small and quaint. (Although we’re still in the middle of remodeling so not sure how quaint it looks at the moment) Luckily, we have some favorable city restrictions on chickens and many people on our mountain now keep them. It’ll be fun, and delicious all at the same time.
It sounds like heaven!
Chicken spa is right! There would be an epic battle between the ponytails and the chickens for that “spa” if it was in my backyard. Ranger Craig really outdid himself on that one. You are one lucky lady to have such a talented hubbie. Now, about that tart . . . why do you have to live so far away? I would love to make it, but I’m terrified that I would eat the whole thing! I just need a tiny little slice . . .or two. 🙂
Hahaha! Well, actually down below the chicken coop and garden shed is a tree house. My husband built it for the girls when they were little and they used to keep it decorated with all that darling little girly stuff. 🙂 Alas, they’ve grown up and it now sits empty and sad looking. And truly, if Iived closer I’d bring you over a few slices 🙂
That tart sounds amazing. Maybe I can score some local pears, soon…
Can’t wait to read about your Chicken Adventures…don’t suppose you’d rent me Ranger Craig for a week? I promise to feed him well 😉
Hahaha! Ranger Craig always works for food. 🙂 My babies will be here next week. Can’t wait!
That chicken coop is luxury!
I’m selfishly very excited you’ll have lots of eggs, as I love all egg recipes and am looking forward to stealing lots of yours!
🙂
Erina you are most welcome to stealing some of my fresh organic chicken eggs! I”m sure I’ll have way more than I know what to do with Hahaha!
And recipes 🙂
Wow, what a beautiful Chicken Coop! I love this about the Seattle area 🙂
I feel the same! We’re not considered suburban but in city limits, although its Issaquah which isn’t terribly city. Hahaha! But still, I wasn’t sure it was allowed but once I started researching I found several homes on our mountain keep chickens and were allow one chicken per 2000 square feet of land. And can you believe we can even keep goats. But I’m not quite there yet. I’d love a mini donkey though. 🙂
Cambozola is one of my favourites! I love your chicken coop, and I’m sure they will be happy hens 🙂
Thanks Tandy! I am a huge Cambozola fan too, but then again, I love most pungent and highly flavorful cheese. 🙂 Have a fabulous week!
Fresh eggs are soooo much better than store bought it’s crazy! Your chickens will be laying eggs in luxury, so you’re sure to have an abundance haha! I have a question though, what is Cambozola cheese? I don’t think I’ve ever had it.. but this tart sounds delicious so I feel like I want to find it..
Hi Erin, Cambozola is a soft ripened cheese, a bit like a brie or camembert with a little gorgonzola. If you have a Whole Foods or PCC Natural Market close by you’ll probably be able to find it there.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
OMG Karista, how did I miss this? Looks amazing — simply beautiful to look at and the blending of wonderful flavors! Wow!
Thanks Danny! I’m way behind on my reading, so Ill probably say the same when I read your new posts. 🙂 have a lovely week!
WOW! You are going to have chickens! They are the cutest things when little. That is so impressive. Since I moved from suburbia to the city, chickens won’t be in my future, so I will keep up with your posts to see how it is going. Oh, and the tart looks delish!
I’m so excited about my chickens. Hopefully they arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to those farm fresh eggs. Or in my case, urban farm fresh eggs. 🙂
That tart looks delicious!
Thanks Nancy! I could make myself sick on it it’s so tasty. 🙂
Such a stunning Tart Karista! (I can’t remember when & where I replied to this, possibly on Instagram before or here?) The pâté briseé crust is divine. These pears are gorgeous and the caramelisation is perfect! Love your pics and especially love the pic of the Polaroid-esque snap. Too cute 😉
Hahaha! I do the same thing. I post many of my food pics on instagram. It was a lovely savory tart and I’m craving another. But my baby chicks arrived this morning so baby chick duty is in order for today. Not much cooking. My old herb barrel is on it’s last leg. My husband keeps telling me he’ll get me a new one, but I just love the old one.
I love farm fresh eggs! In fact, we’re taking care of my mum and stepdad’s farm over the weekend so I will think of you while I am collecting/washing/boxing all of them up for sale! Thanks for the recipe too – I am still deciding what to bring to the Thanksgiving spread!
So glad you love the tart! It’s so yummy I can’t make it very often or I’ll eat at least half of it! I love that it’s a savory tart, so it’s great for an appetizer. Have fun at your parents farm! Wish I were close by, I’d come help with the chickens 🙂
Hi Karista,
My father-in-law is going to help us build our own “Coop de ville” for our small little flock. My husband wants the building to be dual purpose and function as a garden shed as well (which is how I actually found your fantastic blog)! Are you willing to share your fantastic floor plan of your coop or at least some more pictures. It is truly darling. Either way thanks for sharing. I love it!!
Hi Ruth, How wonderful! I completely adored my little chicken coop/garden shed. Sadly, we moved. But my husband promises to build another. 🙂 My husband is an engineer by degree but I’m not sure if he drew up actual plans. I will absolutely ask him and get back to you. I know he’d be happy to share.