1/2 c. sweet potato puree, at room temperature (For this, I nuked a sweet potato in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, then let it cool for a bit before tossing it into the magic bullet and blending)
1/4 c. water heated to 100 degrees
2 TBL. canola oil, plus more for coating the bowl
1 TBL. agave nectar
1 c. white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour (I used regular whole wheat flour because I am not racist)
3/4 c. light spelt flour (versus dark spelt flour? what the hay?)
1 tsp. dried sage
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. fine salt
1 tsp. bread machine yeast (and yes folks, there is a difference between bread machine yeast and regular yeast)
For the caramelized onions:
3 TBL. peanut oil
2 softball sized red onions, cut into rings first, then into half moons
2 large shallots
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
For the Parmesan-like sprinkles:
2 TBL. roasted, salted sunflower seeds (since my were raw and unsalted, I just roasted them on the stove top for a few minutes until they became brown and fragrant. I refrained from adding salt)
2 TBL. sesame seeds
2 TBL. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. dried sage
Directions:
1) To make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, water, oil, and sage.
2) In a large bowl, combine the flours, sage, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, and yeast.
3) Stir the flour into the sweet potato mixture.
4) Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliable, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. Shape dough into a ball.
5) Lightly coat a large bowl with oil, add the dough, and turn the dough to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, for 60-90 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the caramelized onions and Parmesan-like sprinkles.
6) To make the onions, place all the onion ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium low heat, or until the onions are caramelized and brown. Set aside.
7) To make the Parmesan-like sprinkles: Place all sprinkle ingredients into a coffee grinder or food processor (or Bullet). Blend until pulverized into a fine powder. Set aside.
8) Twenty or thirty minutes before the dough is done rising, pre-heat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough into an 8 x 10 inch rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
9) Spread the caramelized onions and Parmesan-like sprinkles on the dough.
10) Bake the Tart for 18 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.
11) Serve with mixed greens!
This was a fairly labor intensive meal - though it was well worth it. The caramelized onions took about 2 hours to caramelize fully - but boy were they delicious and was the wait worth it. (Watching Hulu + a bout of insomnia helped to pass the time!) Next time, I'll set the heat a little higher to speed up the process.
The juxtaposition of the salty from the onions and the Parmesan-like crumbles and the sweet from the sweet potato was delightful. The sweet potato tart was almost like a sweet potato pizza crust. There were some nice hunks of sweet potato spread throughout the dough that gave the tart an interesting texture.
The Parmesan-like crumbles made quite a few crumbles. And they were plenty salty enough using the unsalted sunflower seeds.
MH and DH, especially MH, enjoyed this recipe.
