Looking for breakfast ideas? This non-fussy rustic tart is a reinterpretation of some favorite recipes. Breakfast Polenta Tart is overflowing with smoked ham, seared green onions, and crispy browned potatoes surrounded by a full corn-flavored crust.
Breakfast Polenta Tart
This savory breakfast tart recipe is full of asiago cheese - in the crust and in the filling. Add a dollop of sundried tomato pesto for a tangy, bright garnish.
Recently I made another breakfast favorite this time of year - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/zucchini-frittata-with-tomato-jam. Enjoying the zucchini frittata got me brainstorming about variations of baked eggs and breakfast tart ideas. Part quiche and part Tortilla Espanola, this is a hearty option for breakfast or brunch. The filling is eggy but stuffed with other ingredients for a substantial slice of tart.
Healthy Gluten-Free Option
Polenta is a versatile ingredient and is a great substitute for flour to create gluten-free recipes. It is high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Great in muffins or in cakes, polenta is used for a sturdy and flavorful crust for this breakfast tart.
What is the difference between polenta and cornmeal?
Really, there is little difference. Traditionally, authentic polenta is made from corn called 8-row flint. High in protein, the corn has a creamy taste and a golden yellow color. Cornmeal is ground from a type of field corn called dent, which is not the sweet corn that we eat all summer. Field corn is dried and ground to create cornmeal. So can you use cornmeal for polenta? The short answer is yes. Typically polenta recipes are made with a medium-coarse grind of corn, flint if you are being traditional. But a medium-coarse grind of cornmeal can be used as well.
Breakfast Tart Ingredients
Tart Ingredients
- fresh corn
- ground polenta or cornmeal
- butter
- Asiago cheese
- red potatoes
- green onions
- smoked ham
- heavy cream
- whole milk
- eggs
How to prepare crust
Making polenta is the first step in preparing the crust.
If you are using fresh corn for the crust, make sure to cut it off the cob prior to making the polenta.
- Bring 2¼ (530ml) of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper to the boiling water.
- In a slow steady stream, add the polenta to the boiling water, while continuing to whisk. When all the polenta has been added to the boiling water, turn the heat down to medium.
- Add the corn to the polenta and continue to stir. After 5 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded asiago cheese until completely combined.
Stirring the Polenta
- Pour the polenta into the prepared tart pan and set it aside to cool while you prepare the tart ingredients.
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Prepare tart ingredients
- Peel the red potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice.
- Pan fry the potatoes until they are brown and crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the skillet to cool.
Cut the 4 green onions into 1-inch pieces. Sear the onions lightly.
Lightly sear green onions.
Finish the polenta crust
You want to press the sides so that the crust is higher than the edge of the pan. The height of the sides will be 1 ¼ inch which is ¼-inch higher than the pan. Make sure to press the polenta flat into the base of the pan and create a 90° edge at the bottom of the inside edge. This is to avoid a sloping side.
Press the polenta against the pan to form sides.
Finished Crust
Blind baking
Blind baking the crust is the secret weapon to avoid soggy bottoms. The crust is half-way baked so that it feels dry. Typically with pie crusts, you need to add weights so the pastry on the sides doesn't collapse. However, because of the sturdy nature of the polenta, the weights are not necessary.- Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes until it feels dry but not crusty.
Tart filling
- Combine 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until completely mixed.
- Add the heavy cream, whole milk, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk until the ingredients are completely incorporated.
Tart Filling
- Combine the eggs, heavy cream, and whole milk together until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the browned potatoes, seared green onions, and asiago cheese to the egg mixture and pour into the prepared crust.
- Shred the slices of smoked ham into pieces. I add the ham in clumps, submerging partly, around the whole tart.
Add shreds of smoked ham.
- Place the tart on a baking sheet and put it in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Let it cool for 20 minutes before you cut it.
Just baked!
Sundried Tomato Pesto
A bright and sharp garnish, sundried tomato pesto is easy and fast to prepare.Ingredients
- 8.5-ounce jar of julienne cut sundried tomatoes packed in oil
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup loosely packed basil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Add an 8.5-ounce jar of julienne-cut sundried tomatoes (including the oil from the jar.), walnuts, and parmesan cheese into a blender jar. Process for 20-30 seconds until the tomatoes and walnuts are somewhat chopped.
- Add ½ cup of loosely packed basil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the blender. Process for 30 seconds.
- If the mixture is so thick the blender can't process the ingredients, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you prefer.
Sundried Tomato Pesto
Substitutions for Breakfast Polenta Tart
- Use frozen or canned corn for convenience. Make sure to thaw frozen corn.
- You can use any cheese you prefer.
- Omit the ham if you want a vegetarian tart. Add another veggie like broccoli florets.
- Don't like green onions? Try yellow onions, shallots, or leeks.
- Use a store-bought basil pesto as a substitution for the sundried tomato version.
- Use pork, chicken, or turkey breakfast sausage instead of ham.
Tips
You can make the components of the tart ahead of time.- Brown the potatoes ahead of time. Make sure they are at room temperature before adding them to the egg mixture.
- The polenta can be made the day before. Press it into the tart pan when you are ready to make the tart. It helps if the polenta has been taken out of the refrigerator and warmed slightly before pressing it into the pan.
- Store the tart in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days. To warm it up, warm in a piece of foil and put it in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Versatile Tart
This is a very adaptable recipe. Use what you can find in your fridge for the filling. Caramelized onions, fresh herbs, and cherry tomatoes would be really tasty.
Great for brunch!
Breakfast Polenta Tart
Servings: 6 slices
Calories: 692kcal
A rustic breakfast tart made with a cheesy polenta crust that is part quiche and part Tortilla Espanola.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9.5-inch tart or pie pan I used a tart pan with a removable bottom.
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 medium skillet Nonstick is helpful.
- 1 whisk
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 blender
Ingredients
Polenta Crust
- ¾ cup corn (3.4 ounces/94 grams (that is about 1 ear's worth of corn))
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¾ cup ground polenta or medium ground cornmeal (5 ounces, 141 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded asiago cheese (2 ounces/57 grams)
Tart Filling
- 3 medium red potatoes, diced (7 ounces/195 grams)
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 green onions
- 1 cup shredded asiago cheese (2ounces/57 grams)
- 4 slices smoked ham (2 ounces/55 grams)
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream (100 ml)
- ⅓ cup whole milk (75ml)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sundried Tomato Pesto
- 8.5 ounce jar of julienne cut sundried tomatoes packed in oil (241 grams)
- ½ cup walnuts (1.8 ounces/49 grams)
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (1 ounce/30 grams)
- ½ cup loosely packed basil (.4 ounces/12 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Coat a 9.5-inch tart pan liberally with cooking spray.
Polenta Crust
- If using a fresh ear of corn, cut the kernels off the cob. If using frozen corn, make sure it is thawed.
- Bring 2¼ (530ml) of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper to the boiling water.
- In a slow steady stream, add the polenta to the boiling water, while continuing to whisk. When all the polenta has been added to the boiling water, turn the heat down to medium.
- Add the corn to the polenta and continue to stir. After 5 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded asiago cheese until completely combined.
- Pour the polenta into the prepared tart pan and set it aside to cool while you prepare the tart ingredients.
Prepare tart ingredients
- Peel the red potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice.
- Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1½ tablespoon of olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the potatoes with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Pan fry the potatoes until they are brown and crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the skillet to cool.
- While the potatoes are browning, press the cooked polenta into the prepared pan. You want to press the sides so that the crust is higher than the edge of the pan. The height of the sides will be 1 ¼ inch which is ¼-inch higher than the pan. Make sure to press the polenta flat into the base of the pan and create a 90° edge at the bottom of the inside edge. This is to avoid a sloping side.
- Cut the 4 green onions into 1-inch pieces. Using the same skillet, add the onions, and over medium-high heat, sear the onions lightly. There should be some oil in the pan leftover from cooking the potatoes. It takes about 6 minutes to cook the onions.
- Place the tart pan on a sheet pan and place it in the oven to blind bake for 20-25 minutes. The crust should feel somewhat dry but not completely crispy.
Assemble tart filling
- Combine 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until completely mixed.
- Add the heavy cream, whole milk, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk until the ingredients are completely incorporated.
- Add the browned potatoes, the seared green onions, and 1 cup of shredded asiago cheese to the bowl, mixing to distribute the ingredients.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust, distributing the ingredients evenly.
- Shred the ham into smaller pieces and add to the tart. I bunch the shreds and place them into the tart. Evenly distribute the ham throughout the tart.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, until the top of the tart is lightly browned and set. Let the tart cool for 20 minutes before you try to cut it.
Sundried Tomato Pesto
- Add an 8.5 ounce jar of julienne-cut sundried tomatoes (including the oil from the jar.), walnuts, and parmesan cheese into a blender jar. Process for 20-30 seconds until the tomatoes and walnuts are somewhat chopped.
- Add ½ cup of loosely packed basil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the blender. Process for 30 seconds. If the mixture is so thick the blender can't process the ingredients, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you prefer.
- Adjust seasoning with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Serve a dollop of pesto with each slice of the tart.
Notes
Total amounts of ingredients used in multiple steps -
Shredded asiago cheese - 2 cups
Kosher salt - 2 teaspoons
Groud black pepper - ⅞ teaspoon
Tips -
You can use a pie pan if you do not have a tart pan.
The ingredients and the crust can be prepared ahead of time.
It is easier to cut the tart once it has cooled. Remove it from the tart pan prior to cutting.
Nutrition
Calories: 692kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 1942mg | Potassium: 1465mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1658IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 638mg | Iron: 4mg
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