Brussels Sprout and Fennel Tart with Goat Cheese

This holiday break, my hostility toward fennel finally broke down. Previously, its similarity in flavor to anise seed left me pushing it aside in salads, ignoring fennel-focused recipes, and generally frowning when it appeared on menus. Then my sister took me to The Eagle in Over the Rhine, a Cincinnati neighborhood that really embodies the term 'happening.' The evening's highlight must be bestowed upon their spoon bread (A thick skillet pancake which appears to have maple syrup baked right in, delivering with each splendid forkful a sort of Goldilocks experience—not too sweet, not too dry, but Just Right). But we also ordered a salad of shaved fennel, arugula, and parmesan, and the fennel was just delicious: crisp, refreshing, and finely dressed with an acidic dressing. Perhaps, I thought between mouthfuls, there's something to my mother's affinity for the veggie.

With this experience fresh in my mind, I agreed to include fennel in a savory tart I was making for said mother's birthday dinner. It's showcased rather differently here: instead of being prepared raw, the fennel is sliced, coated in an herb-mustard dressing, and slow-roasted among mounds of earthy Brussels Sprouts. Turns out it was quite delicious this way too, layered over a landscape of creamy goat cheese, all snugged in a crisp pastry crust. I'm glad to know I needn't skirt the ingredient in the future. Although I'm even more glad to know that spoon bread exists. 

The only tricky component to this recipe is the crust preparation. The dough works the same as a sweet pie's crust, so you'll want cold butter, cold water, and a patient, come what may, mood. I let the pastry rest and then rolled out between pieces of parchment paper, as my dough never quite reached the cohesiveness that allows for easy rolling. The topmost photo betrays the patch-work I performed. I'd recommend adding enough liquid to ensure the dough is pliable before you put it in the fridge.

It's not essential you have a tart pan with removable bottom—a clear pie plate would work fine (or, if you want to get really fancy, a muffin tin for mini-tarts). But what I like about the tart pan is that you can remove the pastry from it entirely, which makes for a prettier presentation.

Brussels Sprout and Fennel Tart with Goat Cheese

Ingredients for crust:

1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

5 oz. unsalted butter, cold

1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar

4 TBSP cold water (I like to put the water in the freezer to chill while working the butter into the flour)

Ingredients for filling:

1 lb. brussels sprouts

1 bulb fennel

2 cloves garlic

2 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1-2 TBSP mustard

salt and pepper

8 oz. goat cheese (I used garlic herb, but plain or your flavor of choice would work as well)

--Prepare crust. Mix together flour and salt. Cut butter into cubes and stir into flour, breaking up with your fingers or the fork until the butter flecks are the size of small peas. Add vinegar and water and stir until a cohesive dough forms. Use hands to form into a ball. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

--To make filling, halve the brussels sprouts and slice the fennel into half-inch thick pieces. Peel and slice the garlic. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, oregano, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add vegetables to the bowl and stir to evenly distribute the dressing.

--Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and take out a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom or a 9-inch pie plate. Remove the crust dough from the fridge. Place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out into an 11-inch circle. Remove the top piece of paper, place the pan upside down over the dough and then flip over so the crust sinks into the pan. Carefully pat the pastry into place and trim the edges with a knife. Use scraps to patch any holes in the crust or shape into decorative pieces (you'll place these on top of the vegetables before baking).

--Crumble the goat cheese over the dough and use a spoon or your fingers to press into an even layer that covers the entire bottom. Pour vegetables on top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until vegetables are fork-tender. Let cool at least 15 minutes. If desired, remove the pan's sides and use a spatula to slide the pastry off the tart pan and onto a plate.