Caraway Cheese Tart

This was the centerpiece of my Week Five dinner.  It closely follows the recipe for Caraway Cheese Wedges in Woman's Glory: The Kitchen.  

I thought this would be just another quiche recipe, slipped into that vintage ethnic cookbook as a concession to American tastes.  But it's not.  It is a dense, savory tart that carries the flavor of Central Europe.  My guess is that it's an example of the Austrian strain in traditional Slovenian cooking.

You can certainly substitute sour cream, the original choice, for the yogurt.  The original recipe suggested using smaller tart pans,  6 inch or individual molds, instead of the 10 inch pan I used.

3 slices bacon, chopped

4 T. minced onion

6 eggs (5 if you use extra large)
6 T. yogurt or sour cream

1/2 t. salt

pepper to taste

1 t. caraway seed, divided
1 1/2 c. gruyere cheese, grated

Crust for a 10 inch tart pan


Line tart pan with crust.

For the filling:  Cook bacon and onion together, let cool.  (I used the microwave.)  Beat eggs, yogurt, and seasonings, using half the caraway seed.  Stir in the cheese and bacon-onion mixture.  Spread filling in tart pan. Sprinkle with rest of caraway seeds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until firm.

My choice for the crust:  I like the press-in oil crust from Joy of Cooking, because it is quick, easy and healthy.  (The traditional choice would undoubtedly be richer!) These quantities will make a very thin crust for a 10 inch pan:  Mix 1 1/3 c. flour and 1/2 t. salt. With a fork, beat 1/3 c. plus 1 T. oil and 1/4 c. milk.  Stir into the flour.  Mix with fingers into crumbs.  Press into pan.