Skip the LES breakfast line and slice into this tart for brunch
Capture the spirit and flavor of the weekend special
Bonjour! Bonjour!
For many long-time New Yorkers, Manhattan’s Lower East Side holds a piece of their families’ history. At the turn of the 20th century, it was where so many people, particularly those who came from Eastern Europe and Russia, settled. It became an enclave for Jewish people and, bordering it, immigrants from Italy and China. While Little Italy and Chinatown still retain some of their original personality, today the Lower East Side, LES, is more closely associated with clubs than with knishes — although Yonah Schimmel’s is still there. So is Katz’s Deli, as famous for the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene in When Harry Met Sally as it is for its pastrami. And my favorite LES place, Russ & Daughters.
Russ & Daughters sells what New Yorkers call “appetizing” and what the shop calls the foods you eat with bagels. Think smoked and pickled fish, which has been Russ & Daughters’ specialty for over 100 years. For most of those years, the only way you could get their great foods was to wait in the long line — and there were always lines — at their narrow shop, chat with the counter people and watch as they sliced everything to order. In 2014, the fourth-generation of owners opened a café, and it was there, while having a platter of smoked fish with all the fixings, including bagels and cream cheese, that I had the idea to turn some of those iconic ingredients into a tart.
WHAT’S IN IT
I put everything that I love in a fully-loaded bagel into the tart: smoked salmon, of course, red onion, capers, fresh dill and cream cheese. And I did two things I’d never done before. I put raw red onion into the tart, which has an egg-and-cream custard base. I’d usually sauté onion before adding it to something like this, but I wanted to hold onto some of its crisp texture and bold flavor. I also dotted the tart with bits of cream cheese. While they melted a bit in the oven, of course, they retained their creaminess and punctuated the tart with a light tang.
THE BIG SURPRISE AND A FEW TWEAKS
The recipe for this tart made its debut in my book, EVERYDAY DORIE. What I couldn’t know was that the recipe was going to be the cover star! Cover shoots for books are supercharged events — everyone weighs in before on what might make a good cover, a few candidates are chosen, lots of people show up for the shoot (I was in Paris when this one took place and it was pre-Zoom, so I kept waiting for calls and images — nerve-wracking) and a few recipes are shot. When the LES Tart took the stage, all other contenders were ditched. It was just as perfect for the book’s cover as it is for brunch.
The look of the recipe was tweaked just a bit for the cover, and I love the little changes. The cream cheese was cut into chunklets, rather than small bits, so that they didn’t melt completely, and some of the capers and dill were held back to scatter over the top with the tomatoes. Whether you style the tart this way or make it “straight,” it’ll be a delight. It always is.
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LOWER EAST SIDE BRUNCH TART
Adapted from EVERYDAY DORIE
Photo: Ellen Silverman for EVERYDAY DORIE
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START
The cheese: If you’d like your tart to look like the one in the photo, cut the cream cheese into chunks so they won’t melt completely, and reserve some of the capers and dill to scatter over the top with the tomatoes
Working ahead: You can pre-bake the crust up to 2 months ahead and keep it, wrapped airtight, in the freezer.
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
One 9- to 9 1/2-inch tart shell, partially baked and cooled
1 1/2 ounces (43 grams) cream cheese, cut into small bits or chunks (see above)
3 ounces (85 grams) smoked salmon, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup (36 grams) thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and patted dry
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed, patted dry and chopped if large
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 to 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
Photo: Mary Dodd
DIRECTIONS
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Place the partially baked tart shell on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Scatter the cream cheese over the bottom of the crust, followed by the salmon, onion, capers and dill.
Beat the cream and eggs together with the salt and pepper in a bowl until smooth. Pour this into the crust, stopping when you’re just below the rim. (It’s often hard to judge just how much filling a crust will take, so you might have a few drops left over.) Top with the tomatoes and very carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven.
Photo: Mary Dodd
Bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it is puffed and set — a skewer inserted into the center will come out clean. If the center of the tart has risen as much as the sides, you can be certain it’s baked through. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving — it’s best just warm or at room temperature.
Photo: Mary Dodd
STORING: The tart is at its prime the day it is made. If you have leftovers, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
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