Tourte Milanese

By norsegal8

Big, bold and beautiful. Neat, colorful layers of ham cheese, vegetables and eggs are stacked in puff pastry crust and topped with a puff pastry crown that shatters into its characteristic thousand leaves when cut. This versatile dish can be toted to a picnic or served with an elegant red wine at a dressy dinner. The instructions are long because the tourte has several components, including the sauteed spinach, roasted peppers, scrambled eggs and the puff pastry itself, can be prepared in advance, at your convenience, and the savory tourte can be constructed a la minute.

Ingredients

• 1 pound puff pastry, chilled
• 10 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh tarragon
• salt
• black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• THE FILLING
• 6 large red bell peppers
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds spinach, trimmed and washed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces smoked ham, thinly sliced
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt, for egg wash

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

PREPARING THE PASTRY: Generously butter an 8 1/2-inch springform pan. The thick layer of butter will help the dough stick to the sides of the pan. Cut off one quarter of the pastry, cover and set it aside. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining puff pastry to a round that is 1/4-inch thick. Carefully fit the pastry into the pan, pressing against the pan for a smooth fit - don't worry about perfection, but do leave a 1-inch (or more) overhang.
Roll out the smaller piece of puff pastry until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out an 8-inch circle of dough for the top of the tourte and lift it onto a plate or baking sheet. Cover both the crust and lid with plastic wrap and keep them both refrigerated while you prepare the filling.

MAKING THE EGGS: You need to make a batch of seasoned scrambled eggs to seal the tourte. Whisk the eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat and, when the bubbles subside, pour in the eggs. Gently but constantly stir the eggs around in the pan, pulling the eggs that set into the center and tilting the pan so that the liquid eggs run to the sides and cook - the eggs should be scrambled loosely, as they will cook again in the tourte. Slide the eggs onto a plate, without mounding them, and cover immediately with plastic wrap. The eggs must be cool before they can be used in the tourte.

To roast the peppers, place the peppers, whole and untrimmed, directly over the flame of a gas burner or under the broiler. As soon as one portion of the pepper's skin is charred, turn the pepper to char another section. When the peppers are black and blistered all over, drop them into a bowl of cool water. While the peppers are submerged, use your hands to rub off the blackened skin. Rinse each pepper under running water and dry well. Cut each pepper once from top to bottom, cut away the stem, open the peppers, and lay them flat. Trim away the inside veins and discard the seeds; season the peppers with salt and pepper and set them aside, covered until needed.
Cook the spinach in a large quantity of boiling salted water for 1 minute, just to blanch it. Drain the spinach in a colander, rinse with cold water and, when it's cool enough to handle, press between your palms to get rid of excess moisture.
Heat the oil, butter and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the blanched spinach and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg and, if you want, a little heavy cream. Bring the cream quickly to the boil and stir so that it mixes with the spinach. Remove the spinach from the skillet with a slotted spoon or spatula and set aside.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

ASSEMBLING THE TOURTE: Remove the pastry-lined springform pan from the refrigerator and layer the filling ingredients in the following order: Half the eggs (discard any liquid that has accumulated on the plate), half the spinach, half the cheese, half the ham and all the roasted peppers, laid out flat, then continue layering in reverse order - the remaining ham, cheese, spinach and eggs. With each layer, make sure the ingredients go all the way to the edge of the pan.
If you haven't already done so, trim the bottom crust overhang to 1 inch. Fold the excess over the filling, and brush the rim of the crust you've created with the egg wash. Center the rolled-out top crust over the tourte and gently push the top edge of the crust down into the pan, pressing and sealing the top and bottom crusts along the sides. Brush the top with egg wash and cut a vent in the center of the crust, using a small, sharp knife. Use the point of the knife to etch a design in the top crust, taking care to cut only halfway through the dough. A classic way to decorate the top crust is to cut lines that radiate like spokes out from the center vent and delineate portions, making cutting the tourte easier later.

BAKING THE TOURTE: Place the tourte on a jelly roll pan, give it another coat of egg wash, and bake it for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until wonderfully puffed and deeply golden. Remove from the oven and let the tourte rest on a rack until it is only just warm, or until it reaches room temperature. The cooler the tourte, the easier it is to cut neatly. Run a blunt knife around the outside edge of the pan and release the sides.

STORING: The cooked tourte can be kept for several hours at room temperature or wrapped in plastic and refrigerated overnight.