Walnut Tart
Here’s an idea for something I call the “potluck club.” Invite six friends for dinner and share the menu beforehand: say, a Provencal barbecue featuring grilled butterflied lamb and a vegetable side dish, followed by a simple green salad with Camembert cheese on the side and a walnut tart with a bowl of berries. You, as host, will cook the lamb and pour the wine (a light Merlot is a good choice), and serve cocktails and coffee.
The rest of the menu is up for grabs. Give one of your guests the tart recipe, another the zucchini recipe. (If time or cooking insecurity are issues for your friends, there are always specialty food shops and bakeries.)
Pass out, too, the salad and vinaigrette, cheese, baguettes and the simplest bites to serve with drinks--roasted nuts, marinated olives or hummus with pita bread or crackers, all easily purchased. Talk these options over with your friends and see what interests them.
Crumb pastry
Set a rack in the center of the oven; heat the oven to 425 degrees. Set aside a greased 8 1/2-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom.
Pulse together the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor once or twice to mix. Scatter the shortening and butter over the flour. Pulse on/off until the mixture is cut into small bits. Drizzle the yolk-water mixture over the top. Pulse on/off until the pastry is uniformly crumbed, about 10 seconds.
Transfer the crumbs to the pan. Spread the crumbs in the pan with more around the rim. Through plastic, press the crumbs up onto the sides. Then, press the crumbs into the bottom. Use your finger to even out the thickness at the edge of the pan. Refrigerate the pastry until well chilled, about 1 to 2 hours. Cut a piece of parchment or foil to fit the pan with a slight overhang. Gently conform it to the pan. Fill the pan with dried beans, raw rice or pie weights to weight down the pastry.
Bake until the edges are set, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and beans. Bake the pastry until the edges are lightly browned, about 10 minutes longer. Set it aside to cool slightly. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees. Before filling, brush the yolk on the bottom surface to seal.
Filling
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes, watching carefully so they do not burn. Set them aside.
Mix the eggs on medium-low speed until light-colored and thick. Mix in the brown sugar, syrup, flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt until well combined. On low speed, slowly pour in the butter and vanilla. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the filling into the crust.
Bake the tart until the top is lightly browned, slightly puffed and the filling no longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 30 minutes. Set the tart aside on a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove the tart from the pan. Cut the chilled tart into wedges. Serve immediately.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
