Sunny Spring Chèvre Tart with Fennel & Avocado Salad
Bonjour, mes amis! Let me tell you about the ultimate California-meets-Paris lunch. Inspiration struck me last Tuesday at the Santa Monica farmers market. I was chatting with Julian, the lovely farmer who grows the most impossibly crisp fennel, when the craving hit me for a classic Parisian chèvre tart. But it is glorious and sunny here, so a heavy, traditional quiche just would not do. I took my classical training, tossed the formality out the window, and gave it a West Coast spin. We are blind baking a buttery, flaky crust—do not skimp on the European butter, darling, it is non-negotiable—to hold a cloud-like, shallot-studded goat cheese filling. The magic happens right before serving: we pile it high with a bright salad of shaved fennel, creamy avocado, and a generous squeeze of Meyer lemon. The contrast of the warm, rich tart beneath the cool, citrusy greens is pure bistro sunshine. When I served this to my friends on the patio with a chilled, slightly funky natural Chenin Blanc, there was not a single crumb left. Make it your own by tossing in some shaved radishes or swapping the lemon for grapefruit. Just promise me you will enjoy it in the sunshine!
Featured Recipe
Sunny Spring Chèvre Tart with Fennel & Avocado Salad
This is the ultimate California-meets-Paris lunch. We're blind baking a buttery, flaky crust to hold a cloud-like, shallot-studded goat cheese filling, then piling it high with a bright, crisp salad of shaved fennel and avocado right before serving. The contrast of the warm, rich tart and the cool, citrusy greens is pure bistro sunshine.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour(Plus a little extra for dusting)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter(1 stick, very cold and cubed)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt(Divided for crust and filling)
- 3-4 tbsp ice water(Must be ice cold)
- 3 tbsp olive oil(Divided (1 tbsp for sautéing, 2 tbsp for salad dressing))
- 1/4 cup shallots(Finely minced)
- 8 oz fresh goat cheese (chèvre)(Softened to room temperature)
- 1/3 cup crème fraîche(Can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt in a pinch)
- 2 large eggs(Room temperature)
- 1 Meyer lemon(Zested and juiced)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper(Freshly cracked)
- 1 small fennel bulb(Cored and shaved paper-thin)
- 1 avocado(Firm but ripe, sliced)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves(Gently torn)
- 1 big pinch flaky sea salt(Maldon preferred)
- 2 tbsp olive oil(used in step 9)
Instructions
- 1
Let's make a quick pâte brisée. In a food processor, pulse together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Scatter in your 1/2 cup unsalted butter and pulse until it looks like coarse almond meal. Drizzle in 3 tbsp ice water (add a fourth if needed) until the dough just holds together when pinched. Form into a disk, wrap it, and let it chill.
10 min
Tip: Keep the butter icy cold! That's the secret to a shatteringly flaky crust.
- 2
Place the dough in the freezer for a quick chill so the butter firms back up. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
15 min
Tip: If you have more time, 30 minutes in the fridge is the traditional way to rest the gluten.
- 3
While the dough is chilling, let's build our flavor base. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup shallots and sauté until they are sweet, soft, and translucent, about 5 minutes. Take them off the heat to cool. We never add hot shallots to eggs!
5 min
Tip: I adore shallots for their delicate, garlicky-sweet backbone. Don't let them brown, just soften them.
- 4
In a medium bowl, whisk the soft 8 oz fresh goat cheese (chèvre) with the 1/3 cup crème fraîche until smooth. Whisk in the 2 large eggs, the cooled shallots, the zest of the 1 Meyer lemon, the remaining 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. It should be luxurious and slightly tangy.
5 min
Tip: If your goat cheese is very crumbly, use a hand mixer to get it silky.
- 5
Take your dough from the freezer. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into an 11-inch circle. Gently drape it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing it into the fluted edges. Trim the excess. Now, prick the bottom all over with a fork—this helps steam escape.
5 min
Tip: Don't stretch the dough when fitting it in the pan; stretching causes it to shrink later during the bake.
- 6
Time for the all-important blind bake! Line your chilled tart shell with a crumpled (and smoothed out) piece of parchment paper. Fill it right to the brim with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes to set the edges.
15 min
Tip: Crumpling the parchment paper first makes it pliable so it fits snugly against the dough without digging in.
- 7
Carefully remove the parchment and weights. Return the naked crust to the oven for another 5 minutes until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. We want zero soggy bottoms here in California!
5 min
Tip: Save those dried beans in a jar to use as pie weights forever. I've had the same 'baking beans' for five years.
- 8
Turn the oven down to 350°F (175°C). Pour your lovely goat cheese filling into the warm, blind-baked crust. Smooth the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the custard is just set with a slight jiggle in the dead center.
20 min
Tip: Baking the filling in a still-warm crust creates a seal and helps the bottom stay beautifully crisp.
- 9
While the tart is finishing its bake, let's make our sunny topping. In a mixing bowl, combine the 1 small fennel bulb, the sliced 1 avocado, and 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves. Drizzle with the juice of the 1 Meyer lemon and the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss very gently so the avocado stays intact.
10 min
Tip: A mandoline makes quick, safe work of shaving the fennel paper-thin.
- 10
Remove the tart from the oven. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. This lets the goat cheese custard firm up so it slices like an absolute dream.
10 min
- 11
Pop the tart out of its ring and slide it onto a wooden board. Right before you bring it to the table, pile that bright fennel and avocado salad high in the center of the tart. Finish with a generous pinch of 1 big pinch flaky sea salt. Slice and serve immediately.
5 min
Tip: The magic of this dish is the temperature contrast between the warm, rich tart and the cool, zippy salad on top.
Chef's Notes
I used to hate blind baking in culinary school—it felt like fussy, formal nonsense. But once you experience the shatteringly crisp, buttery shell beneath a warm, cloud-like goat cheese filling... you'll never skip it again. Pour a crisp Sancerre or a dry, slightly wild Chenin Blanc to drink with this.
Marguerite Lavigne
French soul, California sun
I grew up in a small village outside Lyon, where my grandmother taught me that the best meals come from respecting your ingredients. After training at Le Cordon Bleu and spending years in Parisian kitchens, I moved to San Francisco and fell in love with California's farmers markets and wine country. Now I cook the food I wish my grandmother could taste—French technique with California abundance, where a perfect roast chicken might come with Meyer lemon and wild fennel instead of tarragon.