Look in any Sicilian cookbook and you’ll find a recipe for the popular side dish, or contorno, of cooked greens with currants and pine nuts. I make Swiss chard the main attraction of this dish, layering it onto a savory tart with rich and tangy goat cheese, then topping it with sweet currants and toasted pine nuts. Use a crumbly, slightly aged goat cheese, such as Bûcheron, Rodin Affiné, or the domestically produced Laura chanel aged chèvre. Feel free to substitute any other tender greens, such as the tops of beets or turnips, or a bunch of young mustard greens for the Swiss chard.

　　

Ingredients

1 frozen sheet all-butter puff pastry (8 by 12 inches or equivalent)

　　2 extra-large egg yolks

　　1 large bunch Swiss chard, cleaned, center ribs removed

　　3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/4 cup sliced shallots

　　1 teaspoon thyme leaves

　　1/2 cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet

　　1/4 cup crème fraîche

　　6 ounces semi-aged goat cheese

　　Currant-pine nut relish (recipe follows)

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Currant–pine nut relish

1/2 cup pine nuts

　　1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/2 sprig rosemary

　　1 chile de árbol

　　3/4 cup finely diced red onion

　　1/3 cup dried currants

　　1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

　　2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk with 1/2 teaspoon water, and brush the egg wash along the border. (You will not need all of the egg wash.) Chill the puff pastry in the freezer until ready to use.

　　

Step 3

Tear the chard into large pieces.

　　

Step 4

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the shallots, and the thyme. Sauté a few minutes, and add half the Swiss chard. Cook a minute or two, tossing the greens in the oil to help them wilt. Add the second half of the greens, and season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.

　　

Step 5

Spread the greens on a baking sheet or platter to cool. (You may want to put them in the refrigerator, so they cool more quickly.) When they’ve cooled, squeeze the excess water out with your hands.

　　

Step 6

Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth, and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the crème fraîche, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

　　

Step 7

Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry inside the scored border. Crumble half the goat cheese over the ricotta, arrange the greens on top, and sprinkle the remaining goat cheese over the tart. If you aren’t ready to bake, cover the tart with plastic and chill.

　　

Step 8

Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Check underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through (if you under-bake the tart, it will be soggy).

　　

Step 9

Cool a few minutes, and then transfer the tart to a cutting board. Spoon some of the currant–pine nut relish over the tart and serve it on the cutting board at the table. Pass the remaining currant–pine nut relish in a small bowl for anyone who would like a little more.

　　

Currant–pine nut relish

Step 10

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 11

Toast the pine nuts for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they’re golden brown and smell nutty.

　　

Step 12

Heat a small sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the olive oil, rosemary, and chile. When the rosemary and chile start to sizzle, add the onion and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down to low, and let the onions stew gently for about 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a small bowl to cool and discard the rosemary sprig and chile.

　　

Step 13

While the onion is cooking, place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let the currants soak for 10 minutes, and then drain well.

　　

Step 14

Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan the onions were in, and reduce it over medium-high heat to a scant 1 tablespoon. Stir the reduced vinegar into the onion mixture.

　　

Step 15

Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, and parsley to the onion mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for balance and seasoning.

　　

Note

Step 16

Assemble the tart in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before you’re ready to serve. You can make the currant–pine nut relish in the morning.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)