Ham and Pea Tart

I do like ham, but I don't love it just by itself. I like it in small doses or mixed in other dishes. For example, I love ham and eggs, when they are not green of course. Or I will even pretend I'm a real Southerner and mix it up into grits.Therefore, after Easter, I am in a predicament. I don't  want to eat all of that ham by itself. So my husband and I came up with a new way to use some of it. We used a recipe from The Illustrated Quick Cook as inspiration and added a few of our own little touches. 

The crust on this did not come out exactly as I had wanted. I used a 9-inch spring form pan  which I normally use for thick crusted desserts. I used pre-made crust for a time saver, but this could easily use a homemade crust and be made thicker. When I molded the dough around pan, I raised it too high. I had to make it thinner so that it would go that high. In retrospect, I would make the walls thicker and shorter. I might even use both sheets of the crust to thicken it.

This dish could be served after it cools right out of the oven. However, my husband and I like it cooled and refrigerated. We stored it in the fridge overnight and served it the next day. We also liked to squirt a little Sriracha on it to "kick it up a notch," just for Emrill. 

Ingredients
1 sheet of prepared dough for an 8-9 inch pie
all-purpose flour for dusting
1/2 cup parmsean cheese, divide
2 large eggs, plus 1 extra beaten yolk for egg wash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
2 2/1 cups diced ham
1 tsp sage
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Other Equipment
8-9 inch spring form pan
baking beans or pie weights
parchment paper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and press into the pan. I would make it no more than two inches in height and not like the picture below.

3. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden. 

4. Brush the crust with the egg yolk and sprinkle 1/4 cup of parmesean cheese in the bottom. Bake for another 3-5 minutes to crisp.

5. Set aside the crust and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Meanwhile, heat the in a large frying pan.. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions become translucent. Add the ham and sage, and saute the ingredients until the ham is browned and slightly crispy. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

7. Add the ham and pea mixture to the crust.

8. Beat together the two eggs and heavy cream. Season it well. Pour the cream mixture over the ham and peas. Use a fork and press the solid ingredients down in case they rise above the liquid. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesean cheese over the top.

9. Bake the tart for 20 - 30 minutes until set and golden. I place a pan underneath the spring form in case it leaks.