I love a dish that celebrates the season. This dandelion green tart is the epitome of spring.

Dandelion greens. Yes, those same pesky ‘weeds’ you find growing in your lawn. They’re completely edible and especially tasty (yes, a bit subjective, but I love them) this time of year. When the leaves are young and small, they tend to be less bitter and tender, compared to their mature counterparts. That being said, dandelion grow readily and can be enjoyed any time of the year.

In addition to dandelion greens, I added a handful of sorrel to this tart. In the same family as buckwheat and rhubarb, it provides a tangy and lemony bite, a nice counterpoint to the bitter dandelion greens. Though you could use just about any type of hearty green you like, chard, spinach, kale, etc. The greens are complemented by a deliciously creamy, slightly tangy, and briny filling of crème fraîche and Greek feta.

Lastly, the pastry. Pastry is one of those things that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. The love part is easy, flakey and buttery, the hallmarks of any good pastry. The hate part, rolling out the dough. A slightly too dry dough tends to fall apart when rolling out, whereas too much moisture can result in a less than flaky crust. I don’t make pastry often enough, so it’s a skill I have yet to “master.” On a positive note, pastry is forgiving. That is, if the crust falls a part, you can always patch it up a bit with extra pastry dough (no one will ever know).

I garnished the finished dandelion green tart with toasted pine nuts and some edible flowers, chive blossom and black locust flower, the latter which is actually in the pea family and has a sweet, floral taste to it, and lends the tart extra spring-ness.

This pastry requires a two-step process: 1) blind bake the crust (filled with beans or rice) for 15 minutes, remove the beans/rice, and bake for 5 more minutes until nice and golden brown and 2) add the filling and return to the oven for 30 more minutes…

Dandelion Tart

PASTRY
7 ounces all-purpose flour
3.5 ounces (7 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into cubes
Pinch of salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons of ice water

FOR THE FILLING
7 ounces crème fraîche
3 eggs
Sea salt and black pepper.
Dandelion leaves, 2-3 handfuls, roughly chopped
3.5 ounces of feta
Toasted pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) or for garnish
Chive blossoms for garnish (optional)

Equipment: 14 by 4 1/2-inch rectangular tart pan or 8-inch round tart pan.

FOR THE PASTRY: Place the flour, butter, and salt into a food processor and pulse until fine breadcrumbs. You could do this by hand if you don’t have a food processor. Whisk the egg and iced water together. Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour and pulse a few times until it comes together into a ball of pastry dough. Remove the ball of dough from the food processor. Flatten the ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out your pastry to fit the size of your tart pan, pressing it firmly into the corners and sides. Cut off any overhanging pastry. Put into the freezer while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Take the lined tart tin out of the freezer, lay with parchment paper, and fill with some baking beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove the beans and bake again for 5 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.

FOR THE FILLING: Mix the crème fraîche and eggs together and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped dandelion leaves (and sorrel, if using) and mix again.

When the tart is cooled slightly, break up the feta evenly on the base so you have nice chunks. Pour in the crème fraiche mixture and bake for 30 minutes until it’s golden brown and puffed up on top.

Let cool. When ready to serve, garnish with toasted pine nuts and chive blossoms.