CameO Apple and Swiss Chard Tart for Ovarian Cancer Awareness!
Last week marked the first day of Autumn for us, in the Northern Hemisphere. The Autumn Equinox, Harvest Home, Mabon, or whatever you like to call it, is officially my favorite day of the year, because it marks my favorite season of the year. Autumn for me is like the beginning of a new year, a re-birth of sorts, a time for inner reflection as we turn inwards while hunkering down for colder weather. There is much to celebrate – cooler temperatures, fireplaces, time with family, cozy evenings sipping hot beverages, snuggling up in blankets and reading stories, beautiful colors, and seasonal fare. I feel like fall foods, are some of the most universally seasonal eating people do – hearty soups and stews, pumpkins and other winter squashes, roasted root vegetables, and fruits like pears and apples figure prominently for most people without even having to think about it. There is something about the crisp air that hearkens to change.
To celebrate the change of seasons, I always like to make a special dinner on that day. So for this equinox I prepared Apple and Swiss Chard Tart. You may remember me making this before, but this time, I prepared my own gluten free crust, using a combination of garbanzo bean, fava bean and rice flours. I also used Cameo apples, one of my favorites. It goes wonderful with a nice slice of sharp cheddar – another ingredient in the pie. We always have the Seriously Sharp Cabot Cheddar in our fridge. It is amazing to eat plain, but also goes great in cooking. It also makes us feel closer to the home in our heart, the state of Vermont.
Because this is such a comforting, yet healthy dish, I wanted to make it in honor of something else, besides just the changing of the guards so to speak. Just like last year, when I baked it for Breast Cancer Awareness. This year I wanted to make it for the O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. This is its second year running and is done to raise awareness about Ovarian Cancer. The O Foods tradition is in honor of our friend, award-winning pastry chef Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen. Gina has been fighting ovarian cancer for the past year and a half, and in addition to physically battling the disease, she has also started the Cowgirl Cure Foundation to raise awareness and money for research as well. She is an amazing woman, and I wish her all the best. She will be judging this years O Foods Contest!!! But since I am posting this on the last day of the contest (and I apologize profusely for that), you can also participate by just donating money to the Cowgirl Cure Foundation.
We raised a toast to Gina and Autumn by sipping some nice and sparkling Italian Prosecco with our tart dinner! If you are looking for some delicious fall flavors, this tart has it all, apples, chard, cheddar and caramelized onions. For the recipe, click here . As for the crust recipe, I adapted it from a recipe on About.com. The flavor was amazing, but the crust did stick to the tart pan. So I would suggest using butter (I used oil) to grease the pan with. If anyone else has other suggestions for greasing tart pans, I would love to hear them!
Michelle | Bleeding Espresso - September 28, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I wish we lived closer for many reasons, but especially for your cameo apple and swiss chard tart 😉 Thanks so much for participating Jenn!
Happy Cook - September 28, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I didn’t even know we could make such yummy delcious dishes with swiss chard. Move those chunky apples on the tart like that.
Meeta - September 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm
oh jenn i am loving the flavors in this. looking forward to chard in my csa box soon!
Jenn - September 28, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Lovely tart. I haven’t tried swiss chard yet. But I bet it goes wonderful with the apple. I’d love to try a piece.
farida - September 28, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I like fall too although it can’t beat my love for summer:) This is a great recipe for such a great cause. Thank you, Jen!
Rosa - September 28, 2009 at 4:08 pm
An original combo! That tart must taste really good! Great entry…
Cheers,
Rosa
Jen of a2eatwrite - September 28, 2009 at 5:34 pm
This looks so delicious, Jenn, and I’m right with you on fall. I just love it.
Beautiful entry for O Foods!
Peter G - September 28, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I totally agree with you regarding fall fare…it’s the better time of the year for indulging! Nice tart Jenn…I love swiss chard and I’m impressed with your gluten free crust!
Anh - September 28, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Absolutely lovely! And for a very good cause as well!
Ann (Healthy Tasty Chow) - September 28, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Looks fantastic – and I’ve been on a swiss chard kick myself. Hadn’t thought about combining it with apple:) Just did some cannelloni beans though. mmmmmm
Dharm - September 29, 2009 at 7:22 am
This looks fabulous! I always love a good recipe for a good cause and this is one super cause!
Joan Nova - September 29, 2009 at 8:25 am
What a great combination of flavors…I love it. Though I don’t use flour often in my kitchen, I recently bought garbanzo and fava bean flour to experiment with.
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie - September 29, 2009 at 9:10 am
The tart looks gorgeous! I’m definitely intrigued by the combination of apple and swiss chard, must be amazing!
kat - September 29, 2009 at 10:56 am
Beautiful looking tart. We really have the fall bug here in MN & even frost tonight
lisaiscooking - September 29, 2009 at 2:39 pm
What a great way to greet fall! Your tart sounds amazing, and I love the sharp cheddar you used.
Bellini Valli - September 29, 2009 at 3:02 pm
What a wonderful dish to usher in the season. My daughter is a cusp baby and it is always a special time of the year for us.
Erica - September 29, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Wow!I love those pictures. What a great combo sounds fantastic. Fall is my favorite season too 🙂
Amy Green (Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free) - September 29, 2009 at 10:58 pm
I’m finally catching up on my Google reader after being out of town with NO internet – can you believe that?? Who doesn’t have internet??
This is beautiful (could I expect less??) and it looks delicious. Your equinox tradition is so neat – Joe and I are newly married and just starting to establish those things in our life. About the sticking – gluten-free flours seem to stick to everything. I don’t know if the sticking was on the bottom or sides but if it was the bottom parchment paper will fix that. Or, LOTS of cooking spray and then coat it with flour. Just my two cents.
Ivy - September 30, 2009 at 3:38 am
I must try this combination. It sounds very interesting to use apples in a savory tart.
Natashya - September 30, 2009 at 1:29 pm
A lovely tart and such a wonderful cause. I was sad to hear that Gina was also suffering from ovarian cancer. We wish her and anyone else touched by this disease much hope, courage, strength and love.
I am looking forward to your new life and adventures in Vermont.
(I line the bottoms of all my baking pans with parchment to prevent sticking – hope that helps!)
Peter - October 1, 2009 at 5:44 am
What a stunning photo…the tart is fit for a food mag, really!
girlichef - October 2, 2009 at 7:22 am
How gorgeous…and I am completely with you in your love for the first day of Autumn…and the season that follows 🙂
Pam - October 2, 2009 at 10:56 am
I love Swiss chard – this tart is calling my name.
Kristina - October 3, 2009 at 12:27 am
What an interesting combination. I love swiss chard and while I’ve never considered putting it in a tart, I think I will now!
Pam - October 5, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Great combination….looks so pretty!
AnuSriram - October 5, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Wow! That looks awesome.. Tart with swiss chard is new to me… Baking for a good cause! Gr8!
The Stoner Gourmand - October 28, 2009 at 9:30 pm
oh yum. We grew so much swiss chard this year…and it’s still going strong! I will try this recipe w/ the next batch I pick!