Bacon, Potato, and Onion Torte

Melissa d’Arabian makes a version of this a feel good fill your belly dinner…I added a few things to her recipe, you all know about my recipe OCD and it turned out pretty lip smacking!  Give it a try.  The kids will love it!

recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion Torte

By Melissa d’Arabian with some Fitz tweaks by me

Serves: 6   Prep Time: 45 minutes  Cook time:  1 hour 10 minutes

6 strips bacon

1 medium onion, chopped  recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion Torte

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup heavy cream

2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled

S&P

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion TorteIn a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.  Saute chopped onion in reserved bacon drippings over medium low heat until soft, 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and some  of your cheese and crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full.recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion Torte Top with a layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices.

Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes.  Serve with a side salad.

recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion Torte

Pie Crust:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. recipes for kids side dishes dinner    Bacon, Potato, and Onion TorteLet rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.

Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

So you all know that I went berry picking with the kiddos.  They had a blast and can’t wait for recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Piethe berry seasons, apple seasons, corn seasons, etc that are upcoming.  But to go with my farm fresh strawberries we went on down to the old town farmer’s market.  I was so excited.  Our town’s first farmer’s market of the season…recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Well to say that I was disappointed is an understatement.  I know it’s not a huge town but it apparantly boasts quite a number of farms here and to see three tiny little stalls was, well, heartbreaking.  So I picked up some rhubarb to couple with my berries and some dandelion leaves that you’ll be seeing in a yummy recipe or two upcoming and went home dejected.

Welcome to the small town I guess.  Not like back in LA.  Apparantly there are a boat load of bigger ones around.  We’ll have to check those out…soon!  I did make a yummy pie though.  Check it out.

recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For the pie crust:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled + 2 T cut into small pieces

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1 t salt

3 T sugar

8 to 12 tablespoons ice water

2 T cream

1 T sugar in the raw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Put 2 sticks of butter, flour, salt and sugar in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer dough onto counter and split into two equal portions. Wrap each of them separately in plastic wrap and allow to chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.  You can do this the day before if you want.

Remove 1 portion from the fridge to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the pie ingredients.  recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For the filling:

3 1/2 cups rhubarb sliced

1 16 oz container strawberries hulled &  halved

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to coat well.  Set aside.

recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb PiePull the first crust in the pie plate out of the fridge and fill with berry mixture.  Top with remaining cut up butter.  Top with rolled out second pie crust and crimp edges decoratively.  Cut a few slits into the top of your pie to allow the steam to escape.  Brush top dough with cream and sprinkle with sugar in the raw.  Place pie on a baking sheet and slide into your 400 degree oven.  Cook for 15 minutes then turn oven down to 350.  Cook for an additional 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm with whip cream or ice cream.  So so good!!

recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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recipes for kids kids desserts fruits    Farmers Market Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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