Pancetta Gruyere & Walnut Tart

A slice of this Pancetta Gruyere and Walnut Tart is bound to start your morning off right. Creamy and salty with the best of textures, you'll be onto your next slice before you know it. 

❓ Tart vs. Quiche

What is the difference between a tart and a quiche? Ultimately, they are very similar. We have the outer pastry layer that primarily consists of flour and butter which contains a filling of some kind.

One of the key differences is that tart dough tends to support itself completely as tarts are not generally left in their pans for serving. Tart dough is often enriched with eggs and butter, helping to create more flavor and support.

While Quiche is known for its flaky characteristics, tart dough is more similar to the texture and taste of a shortbread cookie. Quiche is always savory with a custard-based filling. Tarts can be sweet, savory, small, or large - they are incredibly versatile! There are so many different shapes that a tart can take on.

❓ What is Pancetta?

Pancetta is commonly sold in thin slices all over Italy, but most often it is packaged and sold in cubes around the United States. When cooking pancetta, the finished product has a crispy texture and intense flavor.

There are a number of steps that Pork Belly has to go through in order to become the cured meat we know as Pancetta:

1. First off, pork belly is seasoned and refrigerated until firm - usually, this is just over one week
2. The seasoning is then rinsed off and the meat is seasoned again, this time with pepper
3. Then, it is rolled into a cylinder, placed in a casing, and wrapped in twine to prevent the meat from loosening throughout the process
4. Finally, it is hung in a dry place for up to three weeks before it is ready

⚒️ Equipment

There are a few pieces of equipment that are essential for this recipe. Here’s what I recommend you invest in:

• Tart Pan - While you can technically use a variety of pans in place of a tart pan, you won’t get the gorgeous fluted edges that I associate with the perfect tart. Feel free to opt for either a round or rectangular variety, or choose individual tart pans instead.
• Food Processor - These kitchen powerhouses are great at shredding, blending, dicing, chopping, mixing, grating, and countless other tasks (like cutting butter into flour for pie dough!). They’re also indispensable for making homemade nut flours like our walnut flour.
• Electric Mixer - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: do your arms a favor and invest in an electric mixer. If at all possible, I suggest a stand mixer (or hybrid hand/stand mixer) so you can multitask.
• Pie Weights  - You simply cannot blind bake a pastry shell without pie weights. They don’t have to be fancy, though! Dried beans or dried rice will do just fine. Note that dried beans/rice can be used repeatedly for pie weights, but should not be eaten after being used as such.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Here's how to get started making this delicious savory tart!

Mixing Walnut Tart Dough

Mixing Dough: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add flour, nutmeg and walnuts mixing until just combined while making sure not to overwork the dough.

Chilling Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before forming the tart shell.

Forming Tart Shell

Rolling out the dough: Lightly flour your work surface, the top of your dough and a rolling pin. Then, use your rolling pin to roll out dough to a 12-inch circle depending on your tart pan (about ¼-inch thick).

Forming the Tart Shell: Once your dough is rolled to the desired thickness (I prefer ¼ inch), press gently into the bottom of your buttered tart pan and form to the sides. Poke the bottom of the tart LIBERALLY with a fork, and place in the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.

Use my step-by-step tart making guide to for more tips and tricks on making homemade tarts!

Par-Bake Tart: As the tart shell takes longer to bake than our pancetta filling, we will be par-baking the shell. This ultimately means that you will partially bake this tart dough lined with parchment paper and baking rice/beans acting as weights for 20 minutes.

Pancetta, Gruyere & Onion Filling

Prepping Pancetta and Onion: To make the filling, first heat olive oil over medium heat and add pancetta. Cook until pancetta is slightly browned yet not completely brown or crisped. Remove cooked pancetta and set it to the side. Add onion to the skillet and cook while stirring, allowing it to slowly become tender over the  course of 15 minutes .

Mixing Ingredients: Meanwhile, whisk together your remaining ingredients - the egg yolk, creme fraiche, and gruyere. Then add pancetta and onion into the mixture.

Adding filling and baking: Pour mixture into the partially baked walnut crust then place back into the oven. Continue baking for another twenty minutes, or until the filling has set and the edges of the tart dough have browned.  

❄️ Storing

Fill and bake this tart at a maximum of one day ahead and store in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or within an air-tight container. Reheat in the oven before serving and enjoy!

💭 Recipe FAQs

Other tart recipes to try!

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