Garlicky Spinach & Chèvre Custard Slab
Growing up in Paris, my mother made a stunning clafoutis salé—a savory custard tart that required chilling and blind-baking a crust for hours. I loved it, but on a Tuesday night? We're not suffering for dinner.Enter the Garlicky Spinach & Chèvre Custard Slab. This is my Bay Area brain meeting my French upbringing: maximum crust-to-crumb ratio, zero pastry-induced panic. I ditch the dough entirely and bake this directly in a hot sheet pan. The metal creates lacy, browned edges while the center stays completely silken. Cultured butter, deeply wilted spinach, and soft chèvre do the heavy lifting. The goat cheese melts into earthy pockets, cut by the crunch of toasted walnuts.What makes this special is the texture. You want to pull it from the oven when the center still has a confident wobble; carryover cooking will do the rest. Overbake it, and the crumb gets tight like a bad alibi.Cami's shortcut note: Wilt the spinach with a heavy dose of garlic and let it cool slightly before mixing, or you'll scramble your eggs. Don't skip this. Want to make it your own? Swap the walnuts for toasted hazelnuts or add a heavy grate of lemon zest to wake up the greens.
Featured Recipe
Garlicky Spinach & Chèvre Custard Slab
A deeply savory, crustless custard that bakes up in a single layer with lacy, browned edges and a silken center. We ditch the pastry because on a Tuesday, we aren't suffering for dinner, but we never compromise on flavor. Soft goat cheese melts into earthy spinach and toasted walnuts for maximum impact.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter(Divided; cultured if you have it)
- 3 cloves garlic(Smashed, skins removed)
- 10 oz baby spinach(Washed and thoroughly dried)
- 6 large eggs(Room temperature)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt(Diamond Crystal)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper(Freshly ground)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg(Freshly grated)
- 5 oz soft goat cheese (chèvre)(Crumbled into large chunks)
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts(Roughly chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Generously grease a 9x13 metal or ceramic baking dish with 1 tbsp unsalted butter. I prefer a metal pan here—it conducts heat faster and gives you those lacy, browned edges we want.
3 min
Tip: Butter is not a garnish; it prevents sticking and flavors the crustless edges.
- 2
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tbsp unsalted butter. Drop in 3 cloves garlic and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the 10 oz baby spinach in handfuls, tossing until just wilted. Remove the garlic cloves and discard. Drain off any excess liquid—water is the enemy of a good custard.
5 min
Tip: Squeeze the spinach slightly if it looks too wet.
- 3
While the spinach cools slightly, grab a large mixing bowl. Vigorously whisk together the 6 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Whisk until completely uniform; no rogue egg whites should remain.
4 min
Tip: One-bowl mixing is the weeknight shortcut.
- 4
Scatter the drained spinach evenly across the bottom of your buttered baking dish. Pinch off rustic chunks of the 5 oz soft goat cheese (chèvre) and distribute them over the greens, followed by an even scatter of the 1/3 cup toasted walnuts.
3 min
Tip: Leave the cheese in distinct chunks so you get sharp, tangy pockets in every bite.
- 5
Pour the custard mixture gently over the fillings. Transfer to the oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes. You are looking for puffed, deeply golden edges and a center that has a distinct wobble when you gently tap the pan.
25 min
Tip: Watch the wobble! Overbaked custard gets tight like a bad alibi.
- 6
Pull the pan from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. The residual heat will gently finish setting the center. Cut into large squares and serve warm.
5 min
Tip: Do not skip the rest. It allows the custard to slice cleanly.
Chef's Notes
Cami's shortcut note: By ditching the pastry crust, we save 2 hours of chilling and rolling. The trade-off? You must generously butter your pan to ensure those edges crisp up rather than glue themselves to the metal. Don't skip this. Also, let time do the work at the end—cutting a boiling-hot custard just leads to a weeping mess. Give it 5 minutes.
Camille Roux
Café-level bakes, weeknight methods, zero compromise.
Camille “Cami” Roux was born in Paris with flour in her hair and a healthy skepticism of culinary dogma. She grew up around neighborhood boulangeries that treated crust and crumb like religion—but what stuck with her wasn’t rigid tradition. It was the quiet precision: good butter that actually tastes like milk, patient fermentation that builds flavor for free, and desserts that know when to stop before they get cloying. After moving to the Bay Area, Cami trained in a bread-and-pastry scene obsessed with texture, naturally leavened doughs, and seasonal fruit—Tartine energy, minus the martyrdom. She became known for loaves that sing when they cool, jammy tarts with clean edges, and “how is this so good?” weeknight pastries made with a few smart shortcuts. Her motto is high impact, low fuss: splurge where it counts (butter, salt, time), streamline the rest (sheet pans, one bowl, cold-proofing). If it doesn’t improve flavor or structure, it doesn’t earn a step.