Halen Mon Rustic Seaside Tart
Sea beet is a hardy coastal wild vegetable, not unlike a more seasoned chard, that grows along the beaches of Anglesey and much of the UK coast. Tender young leaves are at their best in spring, but you can find it year round, often among sand dunes or on the edges of fields. Rinse it thoroughly and avoid any patches popular with dog walkers. If it’s too much of a stretch, then spinach can be used instead. This flaky pastry is a winner – we use our oak smoked water to bring a deeply savoury flavour to the tart, but if you don’t have any, use more water.
For the pastry
- 250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- Pinch of finer flaked sea salt
- 125g/4¼oz butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing
- 30ml/1fl oz oak-smoked water or water
- 95ml/3¼fl oz ice-cold water
For the filling
- 4–5 rashers of streaky bacon, diced
- A good knob of butter
- 2 good handfuls of sea beet or spinach washed
- 3 whole medium eggs, plus 3 egg yolks
- 100ml/3½fl oz milk
- 200ml/7fl oz single cream
- 150g/5¼oz potato, cooked and cut into small cubes
- 100g/3½oz strong Cheddar, grated
- Finer flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method for the tart
- Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed cake tin.
- Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and toss it around to coat the butter with the flour.
- Mix the smoked water and ice-cold water together, then gradually add to the flour mixture (you may not need all the liquid, as the dough should hold together but not be sticky), bringing it together until it forms a soft dough with visible chunks of butter.
- Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface into a long rectangle, about 1cm/½in thick. Fold the top third of the pastry into the middle, then fold the opposite third over it to create three layers.
- Turn the pastry by a quarter and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Repeat the folding process once more, wrap and refrigerate again.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7.
- Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until it is wider all the way round than the tart tin. Carefully lower the pastry inside and press it into the corners. It is worth saving a little chunk of pastry at this point in case there are any holes that need patching up later.
- Prick the base all over with a fork. Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans, then blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 180•C/160•C fan/350•F/Gas 4. As this is a flaky pastry it will have puffed up a little.
- Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Melt the butter in a hot pan over a medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Add the sea beet to the hot pan and cook until gently wilted. If you are using spinach you may need to squeeze out excess liquid. Once wilted, transfer to a large bowl, add the bacon and potatoes and mix together until combined.
- Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream together in a small bowl, then season well with salt and pepper. Fill the blind-baked tart case with the sea beet, potato and bacon mixture and sprinkle over the grated cheese.
- Pour in the egg, milk and cream mixture until it reaches the top of the tin, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly wobbly but set. Leave to cool in the tin before serving.
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