A picture is worth a thousand words right? That picture screams mmm yummy bbq, and ugh, worst execution ever in the same breath. The crust is flaky to the point of being crumbly, which for a bbq pie like the one you see above would be awesome....if you can get it out of the pan in one piece. Even if you can't, the broken pies still taste absolutely delicious. Next time I'll be using my mini cheesecake pans and popping my cup pies out from underneath. Problem solved!
Brown butter pie crust works well in some ways, and worked horribly in others. For instance, it did not make good pop tarts, unlike the buttermilk crust for my Cider Five Spice Pop Tarts. It made wonderful tart crusts for my savory onion, sage, and swiss cheese tart pictured above, but not a decent empty tart shell. All I can say is this version of browned butter pie crust deffinately meant for specific uses.
The idea for this tart came from Butchie's brunch choice at a little bistro in Bethesda, Maryland. The problem is, I made only one tart.....so my filling recipe is for one, and my dough recipe is for at least six. Thanks to the wonders of mathematics this shouldn't be much of a problem, but if you do end up with more or less filling than dough I'll beg your pardon now.
Swiss Onion Sage Tart
3 white onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons of swiss or gruyere cheese, separated
1 recipe brown butter pie crust
Preheat oven to 350.
Saute onions and sugar in olive oil. Until clear and transparent. Add salt and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook until onions have turned a golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.
Roll pie crust out and fit to six small tart pans.
Stir sage, black pepper, egg yolks and milk into the onion mixture. Divide the mixture between the six tart pans. Top each tart with a tablespoon of shredded cheese.
Bake the tarts in the upper third of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before unmolding and serving.
Brown Butter Pie Crust
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, diced
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
In a medium saucepan simmer and cook the butter until it turns brown and takes on a nutty scent. Pour into suitable container and allow to solidify in the fridge for at least four hours.
Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter. Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and stir with fork until moist clumps form.
Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into balls; flatten into disks. Wrap separately and chill 1 hour.
