Caramelized Brussel Sprout Tart with Bacon, Bleu Cheese and Walnuts
This deviously easy tart with a dramatic reveal will convert even the keenest of sprout skeptics.
A Wintry Tart with a Flair for the Dramatic
As a rule, I am not easily influenced. I’ve never taken a TikToker’s advice on mascara or followed a YouTuber’s diet and exercise routine. Imagine my chagrin, then, when I fell down a social media rabbit hole of the viral upside-down tart. The premise is simple: Put some stuff on a baking sheet, cover that stuff with store-bought puff pastry and bake. I lost hours watching Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. When I emerged, bleary-eyed and unkempt, I headed straight to my freezer to dig out some puff pastry, turned on the oven and started to bake.
I made upside-down tarts with caramelized onion, potato and apple; with fennel, goat cheese and dried cherries; with Belgian endive, Gorgonzola and fig jam. And you should, too! They all tasted great and delivered a satisfying and dramatic reveal when the parchment was lifted. TA-DAH—a fancy tart!
But my favorite tart of all focused on that staple mid-winter vegetable: the Brussels sprout.
Why Brussels? For one, they’re super-cute with their tiny cabbage-ness. Two: They pack a massive nutritional punch, including vitamins C and K and a good amount of dietary fiber, at a good value. And three: They give you the opportunity to brush off that high school French. Who doesn’t love saying, with a Julia Child-esque lilt: “Je t’aime, mon petit chou”?
This recipe brings together the classic combination of Brussels sprouts, maple and bacon. The high cooking heat means that your sprouts will emerge tender but not mushy. The pear and maple provide subtle seasonal sweetness; the bacon and cheese bring a salty zing; and the walnuts contribute delightful crunch. While this tart will make any weeknight dinner seem a little more elegant, it also works great cut into smaller pieces as an appetizer or a passed nibble at a holiday gathering.
Jamie Samons wouldn’t eat a vegetable until she was 18 but has spent decades making up for lost time. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the flavors created by the admirable growers and producers who make Rhode Island delicious.
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