INGREDIENTS
1 cup (160g) dried currants
¾ cup (180ml) verjuice
1/3 cup (50g) pine nuts, plus extra to serve
600g curly kale, tough stems removed
40g unsalted butter
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
4 golden shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind, rinsed
2/3 cup (200g) light sour cream
4 large free range eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream pastry
200g chilled unsalted butter, small diced
250g plain flour
125ml sour cream
To serve
Crème fraîche
METHOD
Sour cream pastry
- Add the butter and flour to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine, resembling fine bread crumbs. Add ¾ of the sour cream and pulse to incorporate then add the remaining sour cream and continue pulsing until the dough just starts to combine.
- Tip the pastry out onto a clean work bench and bring together by hand, forming it into a rough rectangle, approximately 2cm thick. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 10–20 minutes to rest.
Tart
- Pre-heat the oven on Fan Plus at 180°C.
- Place the currants and verjuice into a steam safe container such as a glass bowl, cover and place into a steam oven on a perforated steam tray. Wash the kale leaves thoroughly with fresh water and drain, place in a perforated steam tray and into the steam oven with the currants. Steam at 100°C for 5 minutes.
- Remove the currants from the steam oven and set aside for 20 minutes to reconstitute. Remove the kale from the steam oven, when it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the excess water out and roughly chop and set aside.
- Place the pine nuts on a baking tray and into the oven, roast for 5 minutes until golden, check frequently to ensure they don’t burn, remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Change the setting to Intensive Bake at 160°C.
- Grease a 24cm tart tin with a removable base. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench until 2–3mm thick, then use to line the tart tin. Cut off the excess pastry around the edge, leaving 5mm to allow for shrinkage as it cooks (freeze the offcuts for another use). Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Drain the currents, reserving the liquid.
- Melt the butter and oil in pan before adding the shallots. Once the shallots have started cooking, add the garlic, stirring occasionally, over low–medium heat, Induction setting 6 for 5 minutes or until softened. Increase the heat to high, Induction setting 9, then add the verjuice liquid retained from the currants to deglaze the shallots. Continue stirring until the verjuice has evaporated.
- Transfer this mixture to a food processor, add the chopped kale and any remaining liquid and
blend to a puree. - Once the kale and shallots are blended, add the sour cream to the food processor.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper, then lightly pulse into the kale mixture.
- Place the kale puree, currants, pine nuts and preserved lemon in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
- Carefully pour the filling into the tart shell, place in the oven on a wire rack on shelf position 1 and bake for 25 minutes.
- Change the setting to Bottom Heat at 180°C and continue to cook for a further 25 minutes, the filling should be set and the base crisp and brown.
To serve
- Slice and serve hot with crème fraiche and extra pine nuts.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Maggie Beer
Maggie’s career spans farming, food production, as well as television presenting and food writing. Maggie’s appearance on the hit ABC programme The Cook & The Chef cemented her place as one of Australia’s most well known food personalities, and her line of products is arguably the most highly esteemed and much loved range for Australian gourmets
