Here is a winter tart which can be served as hors d’oeuvres or a first course. Trimming the artichokes takes practice. And, the potatoes must be tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper when they are warm. I copied the idea for this tart from The Boulangerie on Pine Street (in San Francisco), a real French bakery and pastry shop!

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Ingredients
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3-1/4 sticks cold butter, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup ice water
4 large artichokes
2 pounds small round pink potatoes
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Nicoise olives (optional)
1 egg, beaten

Instructions
To make the dough, put the flour, the salt and the butter in a large mixing bowl. With two kitchen knives, cut the butter into the flour until the lumps of butter are about the size of large lima beans. Blend in the water, mixing with a fork just enough so that the dough masses together roughly, but butter pieces remain about the same size. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Rapidly push and pat into a rectangle about 12 x 14 in. Fold first the bottom third up, then the top third over, and make a half turn to the right. Roll and fold as before three more times. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 40 minutes.

To prepare the potatoes, put them in a medium-sized saucepan and cover generously with cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Drain and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Coat immediately with olive oil, salt and pepper.

To prepare the artichokes, trim the artichokes of all inedible parts, cut in half and remove the choke, and slice the artichokes crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Store the cut artichokes in a medium-sized pot of lemon water until ready to cook. When all the artichokes are sliced, bring them to a boil, and cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain, and toss with the potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roll the dough into a rectangle 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. Cut the dough lengthwise into 2 strips. Lay the strips on a baking sheet lines with parchment. Arrange the potatoes and artichokes overlapping the length of each strip, sprinkle with the olives. Paint the edges of the dough with the egg; fold the long edges over the potato filling. Bake in the top shelf of a preheated 375 degree oven until the bottom of the tart is golden, about 25 minutes. To serve, cut across the strips in 1-inch lengths.

Serves 8.

Note
An alternative pastry is the sour cream pastry that follows:
2 cups + 4 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup sour cream

For the sour cream pastry, combine the flour with the salt. Cut in the cold butter. Add the sour cream and mix with a fork. Gather the mixture together and knead a few times before forming it into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 1 hour.

© Mary Risley
The idea for this recipe came from The Boulangerie on Pine Street in San Francisco.