Smoked Haddock, Spinach & Chive Tart by Cherie Denham
Recently we had the pleasure of welcoming in cook Cherie Denham and photographer Andrew Montgomery to celebrate the recent launch of their new cookbook 'The Irish Kitchen'. Guests joined us for a live demo and discussion and lunch of recipes from the book, one of which was this delicious smoked haddock, spinach and chive tart, enjoyed best as a starter or lunch dish.
Cherie and Andrew have kindly agreed to share this recipe for Divertimenti blog readers so enjoy recreating at home! You can buy a copy of 'The Irish Kitchen' here.
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Haddock, spinach and egg is a match made in heaven. This is quite a rich tart, and when I had it in Ireland, it was served with a simple fresh green salad. The sweet, caramelised shallots with the soft fish, creamy cheeses and chives were encased in the silkiest savoury custard in a short, buttery pastry. This is delicious served warm or cold and makes the perfect autumnal lunch or light dinner.
SERVES 8
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
- 225 g (8 oz) spinach, washed and drained
- 450 g (1 lb) undyed smoked haddock fillets
- 425 ml (141/4 fl oz/scant 2 cups) whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) or olive oil
- 2 banana shallots, thinly sliced
- 30 g (1 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1/8 teaspoon English mustard powder
- 55 g (2 oz) Cheddar, grated
- 55 g (2 oz) Gubbeen cheese (or more Cheddar), grated
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 11/2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 30 ml (1 fl oz/2 tablespoons) double (heavy) cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry
- 225 g (8 oz/13/4 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 140 g (5 oz) cold unsalted butter, diced
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Method
First, make the pastry. Pulse the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolk with the cold water, then gradually pulse into the dry ingredients, just until the dough comes together (you might not need all the liquid). Wrap the dough in baking parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat oven to 180°C fan (400°F/Gas 6).
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and, when pliable, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a circle large enough to line a 25 cm (10 in) loose- bottomed tart tin with a little overhang. Place the pastry in the tin, pressing it into every ridge, then trim off the excess pastry with your rolling pin or a knife.
Line the pastry case (shell) with baking parchment and fill with baking beans (pie weights). Place on a baking sheet, then bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Lift out the beans and baking parchment and return to the oven for a further 5–10 minutes until the base is dry and golden. Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 170°C fan (375°F/Gas 5).
Next, make the filling. Place a frying pan over a high heat, add half the butter and the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted. Remove from the heat and transfer the spinach to a large plate to cool. Once cool, squeeze out the excess liquid and roughly chop the spinach, then grate over some nutmeg and set aside.
Place the haddock in a medium saucepan with the milk, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 minute before removing the pan from the heat. Cover and set aside to cook in the residual heat for 10 minutes.
Melt the remaining butter and oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the shallots for about 10 minutes until soft but not too coloured. Add the flour and mustard powder and stir over a medium heat for 1 minute.
Strain the fish, reserving the poaching milk. Discard the bay leaves and peppercorns, then gradually stir the poaching milk into the shallot mixture. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens, ensuring there aren’t any lumps. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses, egg yolks, chives, cream and seasoning. Flake the fish, add to the pan and gently stir through.
Spoon the filling and the spinach into the tart case and then bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes until golden brown and set.