MUSHROOM + POBLANO TART IN CORNMEAL CRUST
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 12:23PM 
Sometimes I make things that sound good to me, and though I'm not sure they appeal to the masses, I go forth with the idea. I put hummus on my eggs, spread greek yogurt on my toast and am aware these habits aren't normal. Like last weeks quesadilla, it raised a few eyebrows, but some of you made it and liked it! Thanks for not making me feel nuts. This recipe is a culmination of inspiration - a crust from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and a twist on a frittata I saw in Bon Appetite this past month. It's sort of like frittata meets mexican quiche meets breakfast casserole... or something. All to say, this versatile tart could easily pass for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Also, I wanted to direct you over to the Saveur site, where we were nominated for 2011 Best Cooking Blog! I am beyond flattered to be included amongst all that talented company, as each of them are bloggers I have long admired. You do have to register to vote, but they will not send you a bunch of spam. Thanks to those of you who believe I deserved to be there in the first place :) 
MUSHROOM + POBLANO TART
Inspired by Bon Appetit May 2011 and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck
The crust does not rise, so adjust the thickness as you prefer. Next time I may make it in an 8'' square and bulk up the filling amounts a bit. Maria did not suggest cooking it before adding filling, but mine seemed pretty moist and I made a completely different filling than her recipe, so I found this step necessary. Just keep an eye on it in the oven, it doesn't need to fully firm up, but you don't want it smushy. The crust can be made a day in advance to save time.
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Water
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 Cup Polenta or Corn Grits
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
Fresh Ground Pepper
Filling
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Cups Thinly Sliced Mushrooms (I used Crimini but Button will work as well)
1 Small Poblano Pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
5 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk (Whole or 2%)
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, plus more for garnish
Chopped Cilantro
Tapatio or Hot Sauce of choice
1. Bring the broth, water and salt to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta and continue to stir. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir every two minutes to prevent the bottom from burning. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, another 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, egg and lots of fresh ground pepper. It should be thick. Allow it to settle another 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9'' pie plate. Transfer the polenta to the pie plate and using wet fingers, press to form a crust in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. If you would like a thinner crust, set some of the polenta aside. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the tart.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and poblanos and saute for 10 minutes until both are softened and the moisture has been absorbed. Turn off the heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cumin and black pepper together until well combined. Stir in the scallions and the vegetables. Add the egg mixture into the cornmeal crust, sprinkle the feta cheese on top and bake another 20 minutes until the center is just set.
Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with crumbled feta, chopped cilantro and hot sauce on the side.
Reader Comments (73)
This doesn't sound weird at all, creative twist with the crust definately. Of course I like to get 'creative' with my foods too. I think it's a form of genious actually.... ;)
This is def bookmarked to make for dinner next week, love poblanos! Oh, and so glad you made Saveurs list, you sure deserve to be there and of course I voted for you.
These look delicious! Photos amazing as usual!
Congrats on your nomination Sara and Hugh! That is so exciting!
So excited for you, Sara! And I smiled while reading this thinking about my quirky habits that unveil themselves from time to time (Mexican pizzas, and everything-in-the-fridge omelettes -- two favorites). I have a lot of those "or somethings" in my world lately.
yum.
this was so unexpectedly yummy. i shared the leftovers with a co-worker and she said it reminded her of an inside-out tamale. just divine!
Looks YUMMY and doable. I've printed it out.
Thanks,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
This looks delicious! I never would have thought of polenta for the crust. I may just have to make this one...
Can't wait to try!
We whipped up this beauty the other night and thoroughly enjoyed! Organic Elgaar Feta was the crowning glory.
i made this tonight for dinner...DIVINE.
i used a ceramic tart pan instead since it's what i had lying around. worked like a gem with the recipe.
let's just say between 2 people, 3/4 is now gone.
)))BOOM(((
I served this at brunch last weekend and it was wonderful! Thanks for the (continuous) inspiration!
Ahhh! I love polenta crusts! This tart sounds lovely and fresh, almost like a Spanish omelette. Think I will be having more tarts now I don't have to worry about unhealthy pastry.
Hi! It says cornmeal in the title but corn grits in the recipe... is there a difference?
@Rachel - yes, cornmeal is finer ground than packages of corn grits or polenta (both work here). If you can ONLY find cornmeal, it will likely work, but you'll probably need a bit less liquid. I haven't tried it, so can't offer exact amounts. Sorry!
I have beautiful poblanos growing in my garden as we speak. I hope they do well up here in Washington, seeing as it is not too hot in this area. But so far so good. I will be making this as soon as they are ready!
[...] The creamy and rich polenta crust is a delicious alternative to a traditional pastry crust. Feel free to come up with your own variation like I did with your favourite seasonal vegetables. You can find the original recipe here. [...]
[...] {credit} {credit} [...]
[...] ask: where is the omelet (see Julia Child’s funny tutorial) or the frittata or the quiche (this one is slightly quirky with a cornmeal [...]
[...] Sprouted Kitchen - first recipe to try is: mushroom and poblano tart. [...]
Just made this tonight! The flavors were outstanding!
*I did have some trouble with the crust: it never set up enough to press it in, it was too loose I guess? I did use stone ground grits so I'm thinking maybe reduce the liquid? I also used an 8x8 and thinking I should have used my tart pan possibly.
Don't know if you had any thoughts on this or had tried the crust with grits?
Being southern, I always have grits on hand. I also had cornmeal on hand, but I assumed it was not course enough.
Definitely going to try my hand at it again (must.concur.cornmeal.crust), it was still delicious!
the polenta was a soggy mess despite doing everything mentioned in the recipe. it tasted delicious but there was no "crust." well, there was an edge but the middle was a mess despite heating and baking and making thin, etc.
Fabulous. I ended up adding more liquid to the corn meal for ease of blending. Cannot wait to make this again.