“I am so inspired by my visits to the farm,” I told my father on the phone.
Without seeing his face, I could feel he was finding my words amusing.
My father grew up on a farm with tractors, cows and horses. And I grew up following my grandmother in the large garden she kept at the back of the house, to see the chicken and rabbits, and fetch salad, saucissons and pâtés whenever we stayed over for dinner. The best I’ve ever eaten to this day.
“Comment cela ?” (How so?) he asked. “Tu n’as qu’à venir nous voir!” (Come and visit us!)
“Bientôt,” (soon) I responded. I’d just uttered the words that already I felt impatient to as images of France in the spring, cherry trees and poppyseed fields crossed my mind.
“Bientôt,” I said once more. “Mais pas maintenant.” (Not now).
“We have a lot to look forward to here at the moment,” I added.
I really meant it.
I was thinking about all of these things: The transition to Spring (so happy to see all of the snow melted!) that I don’t want to miss; settle more in our house (a.k.a. empty boxes and tidy the mess that is still around); plant a garden; and introduce Lulu, step by step, to glimpses of the beautiful farm life that surrounds us. I know she can appreciate it already. If she finds moutons and poules irresistible, she is getting it. I would so much have loved that her great grandfather could watch her pet the goat and inquire about cows and chicken. He, too, would have found that amusing.
And then there is my book. And the final piece of work I have to do with it.
So you know, I am currently revising the proofs. And oh let me tell you how good that feels!
So much so.
As I flip through the pages and recall the many hours I’ve worked behind the stove, in front of my laptop or behind the camera, I am simply moved.
So, to help, I visited farms. And do you know what? It really helped.
I had forgotten how adorable baby goats look when they play. I had forgotten how amazing witnessing the birth of a few baby lamb is.
“It’s incredible,” I told Mia who kindly walked me through the farm when I came.
“Lulu begs that we come every day,” I went on, laughing. “It feels like we belong here too.”
I loved that idea, in fact. And knew we’d come again and again.
The day of my visit, I cooked a tart. A savory tart.
I had leftovers of crust used for a savory tart recipe I’d written for food author Ashley English, who had kindly invited me to collaborate to her upcoming new cookbook.
“Do you mind if it is gluten free?” I asked her when she emailed me.
“I love it!”
Hence this was how this gluten free tart crust was born.
And then this savory tart, which I threw together quickly with what I had handy when I returned from the farm feeling hungry.
Don’t ask but that type of food somehow connected me to my day on the farm even more.
It was exactly what I wanted to eat.
For the crust:
You need:
- 1/2 cup millet flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1.5 teaspoons xantham gum
- 0.5 teaspoon sea salt
- 7 tablespoons (100 g) cold butter, diced
- 1 egg
- 4 (or more as needed) tablespoons cold water
Steps:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, xantham gum and salt. Add the butter and use the pulse option to work this mixture into crumbles.
- Add the egg and continue to pulse.
- Add the water, one tablespoon at a time and work until the dough detaches from the bowl.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Bring back to room temperature before using.
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 large leek, white part only, finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, finely grated
- Sea salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup crème fraiche
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
- 1 oz grated Comté cheese
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and garnish four 4.5-inch tartlet mold with the crust–you will have leftovers of dough, which you can freeze or use for something else. Make small holes at the bottom of each with a fork and set aside.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add the leek and zucchini and ground coriander. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, until soft but not brown. Stop the heat.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs with the crème fraiche. Stir in the milk and fresh coriander. Add the cooked vegetables and stir in the Comté cheese.
- Divide the vegetable batter between the tartlets and bake the tartlets for 25 minutes, or until the flan is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving with a salad.
Pour la pâte :
Ingrédients :
- 60 g de farine de millet
- 90 g de farine de riz complet
- 75 g de farine de sarrasin
- 1.5 càc de gomme xanthane
- 0.5 càc de sel de mer
- 100 g de beurre non salé froid, coupé en dés
- 1 oeuf
- 4 càs (ou plus selon besoin) d’eau froide
Etapes :
- Dans le bol de votre robot, mettez les farines, la gomme xanthane et le sel. Ajoutez les dés de beurre et pulsez jusqu’à l’obtention de miettes.
- Ajoutez l’oeuf et continuez à pulser.
- Ajoutez l’eau, 1 cuiller à la fois et travaillez la pâte jusqu’à ce qu’elle se détache du bol.
- Transférez-la dans un bol. Couvrez et mettez au frais pendant 1 à 2 heures. Ramenez à température ambiante avant de vous en servir.
Pour la garniture :
- 2 càs d’huile d’olive
- 1 càc de coriandre en poudre
- 1 gros poireau, partie blanche, émincé finement
- 1 courgette moyenne, râpée finement
- Sele de mer et poivre
- 1 gousse d’aïl écrasée
- 2 oeufs
- 4 càs de crème fraiche
- 2 càs de lait
- 1 càs de coriandre hachée
- 30 g de Comté râpé
Etapes :
- Préchauffez le four à 200 C et garnissez 4 moules à tartelettes de pâte, Piquez le fond avec une fourchette et mettez de côté–vous aurez des restes de pâte que vous pouvez garder au congélateur, si vous le souhaitez.
- Dans une poêle, faites chauffer l’huile sur feu moyen. Ajoutez le poireau, la courgette et la coriandre en poudre. Assaisonnez de sel et de poivre et cuisez, en remuant de temps à autre, pendant 2 minutes. Ajoutez l’aïl et poursuivez la cuisson pendant 3 minutes jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient tendres. Arrêtez le feu.
- Dans un bol, battez les oeufs avec le lait et la coriandre. Ajoutez les légumes cuits et le comté.
- Divisez cette préparation sur les les fonds de tartelettes et cuisez au four pendant 25 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le flan soit pris. Sortez du four et laisse refroidir pendant 5 minutes. Démoulez et servez avec une salade verte.
Wish I was there visiting those glorious farms with you Bea! Beautiful post!
Beautiful post Bea. I love your farm posts so much. They are so inspiring and down to earth. Also the recipe is great!
Oh comme j’aime ces photos des bébés “pulls” (c’est ainsi que je surnomme les moutons pour qui j’ai développé une vraie passion en visitant la Nouvelle Zélande)! Qu’ils sont jolis et émouvants. On les sent si fragiles sur leur petites pattes.
Je vais envoyer cette recette à ma sœur, elle est toujours en quête de nouvelles recettes de pâtes sans gluten.
Elle a l’air délicieuse cette tartelette aux légumes.
oh my gosh, beautiful and delicious. always love your posts. xx
Such beautiful photos of the animals! I love the wonderful feeling of connection that you feel when you visit them. And this combination of flours – I’m going to try this soon. I’ve not had much experience using different types in one dish, so I’m looking forward to learning! Thanks Béa!
I love these little things! Looks amazing and tastefull, like always Bea!
Oh that little lamb! I want one!
De r-licious!
Poppies absolutely come to me from our visits to France. I’ll never forget driving from Nice towards the French Alps to Geneva and seeing all of the poppy fields. That is not something you see in the US! We even found a wonderful artist in one of the tiny towns and bought his painting of a poppy field that hangs in my kitchen today. You tart looks savory and delicious! I’m getting there with my photography but its a slow road for sure!! Constant effort.
Thank you thank you! Yes poppies and animals. Easy things to make us happy and remind us of the important details.
And Kit, I, too, so much wished you could be here with me to visit the farms. We’d have so much fun! Especially once the crops start!
In rural New England where I live, we’ve still got quite a bit of snow in the planting beds, but I’m hopeful the rain this week will blow it out. Gorgeous photos. And love the millet/buckwheat flour mix. So very springy.
Beautiful! Spring is such a lovely season. Good luck on the final steps of your book, can’t wait to read it 🙂
great photos! happy new week
trop mignons les petits agneaux !! poireau, courgette … la tartelette idéale !
You’ve got me so wanting it to be Spring, Béa! When our son was Lulu’s age, we lived next to a couple who had a small hobby farm. We would be greeted every morning at the fence by sheep and guinea hens. Fresh eggs were just a short walk away and in Summer, there were always veggies sent our way. How nice was that! I miss those days. I’m going to make your tart today, sounds delicious. Can’t wait to see the book!
Beautiful post Bea!! I love the pictures, hugs
Bonjour,
merci pour la générosité de vos posts : photos, couleurs, lumière et plats qui donnent envie de croque dedans.
J’ai réalisé certaines de vos recettes et ce fut toujours un plaisir. Mais là, je suis intriguée par cette gomme xanthane. Je n’aime pas trop ajouter des trucs inhabituels (de synthèse) dans les recettes, et que se passe-t-il si je n’en mets pas? de la maizena ne fera pas l’affaire?
merci beaucoup en tout cas.
Dommage que votre livre ne soit pas disponible en France, mais peut-être une traduction en vue?
Merci d’avoir remis le coin français pour ne pas avoir le casse tête des équivalences à gérer!
Bonnes visites de fermes et joyeux printemps!
Brigitte
I love this post. my parents had a farm too and thinking about it today I know I would value it much more if I could be there now…
Moi aussi je me demande ce que c’est que la gomme xanthane, à quoi ça sert, et si on peut la remplacer par autre chose si on n’en a pas sous la main.
Frédérique et Brigitte,
Merci. La gomme xanthane permet à la pâte de mieux se tenir quand on l’étale et la cuit, puisque les farines que j’utilise sont sans gluten. Je ne l’utilise pas toujours, mais je trouve que cela donne une texture plus satisfaisante. Sans, ca marche aussi, mais la pâte est plus friable! Bon appétit en tous les cas, et encore merci.
The baby goats are just adorable … you poppies are beautiful .. if you peak at my site you will see what they look like in California! … and the savory tart looks like I could eat it right now.
Felt like I was there walking around with you. Really looking forward to the book.
Wonderful recipe and beautiful photos! patrizia from Italy
The lambs took me back to when as a child we visited my Mothers foster parents farm, I used to sit in the lambing sheds and feed the orphan lambs with a bottle. Its lambing time where I live now sure sign spring is coming.
Mmm.. la recette donne super envie et la balade à la ferme tout autant!
Can’t wait spring to come. And your tart is just perfect for this season!
Beau printemps quand reviendras-tu faire pousser les feuilles…
Je retiens cette recette de pâte sans gluten!
What beautiful photos, your posts are breaths of fresh air, merci. Jude
This post brings back such great memories! I used to go to Drumlin Farm as a kid…I still vividly remember holding a new born lamb about 25 years ago. Those are great memories to pass on to your daughter. Thanks for the lovely pictures!
Je suis née en campagne et j’ai vécu ma jeunesse à la ferme de mes parents. Que j’ai aimé. Ce sont de bons souvenirs. Que de belles photos.
Je découvre votre magnifique blog à l’instant et j’en suis plus que ravie! Il est magnifique! Les photos sont à couper le souffle 🙂
Bonne continuité et bonne journée 🙂
Je découvre votre magnifique blog à l’instant et j’en suis plus que ravie! Il est magnifique! Les photos sont à couper le souffle 🙂
Bonne continuité et bonne journée
Thank you very much everyone!
gorgeous!
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i used your gluten free pastry for another recipe (rhubarb and almond tart), it was such a good pastry i couldn’t believe it. thank you so much.
This sounds easy and fantastic.
C’est avec plaisir que je découvre, par hasard, ton site (j’ai pu lire que tu es Française, je me permet donc d’écrire en français).
Je voulais tout d’abord te féliciter.
Les photos font rêver, voyager, nous mettent des étoiles plein les yeux.
Je viendrai te rendre visiter de temps en temps, avec plaisir & délectation 🙂
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Poppies are my favorite flowers. My favorite picture is a painting we have in our home with a field of careless poppies. The savory tart also looks really good. I am feeling inspired by this recipe to try one out 🙂
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Such beautiful photos and recipes.
It’s difficult to find some of the ingredients:((
Thank God, I found your adress on twitter. I’ll be follower since then.
This post is beautiful and the recipe looks lovely. I would like to prepare it for a friend and am wondering if I could use a 9″ tart pan instead of the small tartlette pans. Merci beaucoup.
Hi Erica, yes absolutely.
Thank you so much for letting me know, and for taking the time to reply. I can’t imagine how busy you are…bon voyage!
Erica
I prepared this tart for my family today. It was a success !! The taste of the gluten free crust with the vegetables preparation is gorgious. Thank you Bea !
Je l’ai faite avec une pate brisée “normale” et j’ai ajoute qq lardons 🙂
Mon mari a déclaré que c’etait la meilleure quiche qu’il ai jamais mange !!
Merci 🙂