Harts of Stur Kitchen Issue 6, spring & summer 2018 | Page 22

Harts Kitchen
Menu à la Harts
Dairy Tale
River Cottage’s Steve Lamb tells the story of how cheese is
made and shares a recipe for the ultimate simple savoury tart
A
five-year-old knows that cheese
is made of milk. While we
have some vague idea of how
the transformation happens
(bacteria is involved, and you
need to wear a white coat),
most of us aren’t making our own Stinking
Bishop, or any other delicious dairy produce
for that matter.
Enter the ever-resourceful team at River
Cottage. The latest in their brilliant, practical
series of handbooks is dedicated to Cheese &
Dairy. Author Steve Lamb argues anyone can
make their own cheese and you don’t need
a herd of grazing cows or sheep on hand
to do it. Just milk, some time, a few special
ingredients and plenty of curiosity.
As well as demystifying the whole process
of making dairy produce, River Cottage
Handbook No.16 also celebrates cooking with
it in recipes like this one that puts cheese in
the starring role.
Cheese and onion tart
I
f there is a recipe that shouts more of the
lost county of Lancashire than a cheese and
onion tart, I will eat my proverbial flat cap – I
would be discrediting my heritage if I did not
include it! You have to resist the temptation
to put bacon (or indeed potato) in this tart,
and instead champion its simplicity. The
addition of bacon would turn the tart into a
quiche – which is a bit like calling Lancashire
‘Greater Manchester’. My recipe is inspired
by one of Lancashire’s great chefs, Nigel
Howarth, who helps to keep many of the
region’s ingredients on the map.
Ingredients
Serves 6–8 Special equipment
For the pastry Method
200g plain flour, plus
extra for dusting
A pinch of sea salt
100g butter, diced
2 medium eggs, beaten
For the filling
25g butter
2 large onions, peeled
and thinly sliced
3 medium eggs
300ml crème fraîche
¼ tsp freshly grated
nutmeg
100g hard cheese
(Lancashire of course!),
grated
150g fresh goat’s curd
cheese
Sea salt and freshly
ground white pepper
23cm loose-based tart tin
To make the pastry, sift the flour and
salt into a bowl, then rub in the butter
with your fingertips until it resembles
fine crumbs. Add the beaten eggs a