Free People Blog

This time in Kitchen Confidential, we bring you Craig – a master chef working in our 543 cafeteria who came to us from Michelin star restaurant, Spruce, in San Francisco. Craig has some awesome culinary training strapped under his belt, and has traveled far and wide to places including Japan to perfect his craft. There he picked up skills like how to masterfully breakdown a fish along with little superstitions like where to set your knife down when you’re done. His philosophy these days is, “keep it simple, good ingredients, and great technique.” He loves to flavor with fresh herbs, and wants dishes to feel seasonally appropriate.

When we caught up with Craig he was preparing a Double Creamed Tart for our composed salad station. Since it’s getting a bit chilly outside, he crafted this recipe to include something savory and a bit heartier in the assortment. “In the winter people want something that’s a bit heavier and has had more time put into the cooking,” he explained. He then went on to stress that because of its richness, “this is a dish that should be served in small portions to provide just the right amount of satisfaction.”

To get the tart at home, you’ll need:

For the pie crust:

350 grams of flour

200 grams of butter

Ice water

Pinch of salt

For the filling:

2 cups of cream

1 large yellow onion – finely chopped

1 bunch of thyme – chopped

1 bunch of rosemary – chopped

Caramelized onions:

3 Oz. of Olive Oil

3 Large Onions – chopped long

Pinch of salt

Tbsp of Butter

Tbsp Chopped Thyme

Tbsp Chopped Rosemary

Fine herbs:

1 Sprig of Parsley – finely chopped

4 Sprigs of Chives – finely chopped

1 Sprig of Tarragon – finely chopped

Process:

Craig started by prebaking his pie crust, slowly caramelizing his onions over the stove (adding fresh herbs in at the end), and slowly reducing his cream down with chopped onion and herbs into a thick double cream.

He then filled the pan with the doubled cream and sprinkled the caramelized onions on top to make them highly visible. He topped the whole thing off with generous crumbles of goat cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Craig then placed the tart into the oven for about 20 minutes at 350F, taking it out as soon as the top became slightly browned.

While letting the tart cool, Craig prepared some fine herbs – a blend of parsley, chives, and tarragon. Once the tart reached room temperature, juice from ½ a lemon was squeezed juice into the herb mixture which was then sprinkled on top. It’s important to wait until the tart is fully cooled here. Sprinkling fine herbs on too soon may cause them to wilt or brown.

Et voila!

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