I made an artichoke tart last night for dinner. The recipe is here.
For years I’ve known that the better-half liked to eat artichokes, but I always thought it was like I liked to eat artichokes: Oh, artichokes are in this, cool. Just goes to show you that there’s always something to learn about the other half of your pair. The better-half likes artichokes the way I like a hoppy beer. Which is to say A LOT.
Since learning this about six months ago, I’ve tried to seek out artichoke recipes. Hence, seeing the artichoke tart and immediately going out to buy the ingredients.
Yesterday I was in the store looking for not quick-cook polenta when it dawned on me that I could take the grits we have and buzz them in the blender. Because polenta and grits are basically the same thing. Then I got home and emailed a friend and she said, duh just use cornmeal. So I did and my friend was right.
I’d highly recommend the recipe. It isn’t difficult and tastes very good. I think I’ll make the crust again and fill it with the mushroom and blue cheese quiche mixture that I occasionally make. I think the corn will work very well with that recipe too.
Here’s what the tart looked like before baking:
It came out looking a little like deep dish pizza. I like how the crust looks nearly perfect in a rustic way:
I especially like how the artichokes hold up in the dish. The better-half liked it but wanted it to be more artichokey. I’m not sure how I’ll accomplish that next time. There’s not much room for any more artichokes in the pan–I used a 14oz can of quartered artichokes:
It turns out if you let the tart sit in the refrigerator for a day or two and then slowly heat it in a low oven (like 200 degrees) until it is appropriately warm again (40 minutes?), the artichokes will be more artichokey and there will be much rejoicing.