An Iron Chef competition among friends in Porter Square

A few years back, a couple of Porter Square dwellers decided to host an Iron Chef-style competition between friends from all walks of life who share one thing in common: their love of good food. It's since become a popular tradition. Hosts Peter and Viva select the main ingredient (this time it was hearty leafy greens), and a rotating cast of home chefs spend weeks testing recipes to hone a single dish to present to the judges, who wear funny hats (just because), award points, and provide feedback on the final products. The other guests/audience members--me included, at the most recent Iron Chef in early November--get to lap up the tasty leftovers.

Any good Iron Chef competition must include a little fire. Here, a former chef who gave up the demands of a professional kitchen (but still likes to dabble in the culinary arts) prepared mushrooms with Calvados brandy to serve with his dish.

The first course served to the judges was a cold green soup made from kale, chard, beet greens, smoked ham, onions, carrots, shallots and heavy cream.

Next came hostess Viva's quiche, prepared with chard, shallots, goat cheese, homemade bacon cured with roasted garlic, and a little puff pastry on top for good measure. I snapped this photo before she had a chance to add the arugula side salad.

One of my favorite dishes was this beef Wellington served with an intensely flavorful veal reduction, the aforementioned mushrooms, and a beet salad made with Greek yogurt. But it lost points with the judges for failing to highlight a leafy green.

The winning dish was a sweet, vibrantly green spinach bread (a riff on zucchini bread) that was topped with a sauce made from purple kale, star anise, lemongrass and amaretto, and drizzled with a raspberry coulis. It earned points for creativity and presentation.

But the dish I'd be most likely to make at home (and the 2nd place winner) was my friend Cynthia's mildly sweet European dessert tourte made with Swiss chard, Grand Marnier-soaked raisins, and orange zest in an almond meal crust. The brilliance of this tart is that it takes a traditionally savory green loaded with nutrients and transforms it into a light, citrus-flavored dessert that does not taste overly leafy. It is the opposite of spinach in Fillo, for instance, which packs a punch of spinach-y flavor. Though I'd never tasted one before, this type of sweet tourte is evidently quite popular in France. Cynthia's recipe (below) is slightly modified from Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook.

Sweet Swiss Chard Tourte

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup finely ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter

1 egg lightly beaten

Mix together the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, large-tined fork, or food processor on pulse setting, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Stir the egg into the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until it forms a ball that holds together.

Separate the dough into two balls, flatten slightly into thick disk shapes, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for several hours before working with it.

For fast prep: put the dough in the freezer for 40-50 minutes before working with it.

Tourte:

1/2 cup golden raisins

3 TBSP warm Grand Marnier

1 1/2 pounds Swiss Chard, stems and tough center veins removed and washed

1 TBSP honey

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 large eggs, plus 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 TBSP whole milk

1 tsp finely grated orange zest

1. Warm the Grand Marnier and then pour over raisins and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain before using.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Plunge the swiss chard in the water and blanch for 5 minutes, or until the leaves are tender but still very green. Drain the chard in a colander and run it under very cold water.

When the leaves are cold enough to handle, drain them well, then squeeze them between your hands to remove excess moisture. Roughly chop the swiss chard and set it aside for the moment.

3. Melt the honey in a small pan over medium heat and toss in pine nuts. Cook, stirring until the pine nuts turn golden brown. Pull the pan from heat and cool to room temperature, then break the nuts apart if the honey has caused them to form clumps.

4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Roll out dough and place one in tart pan on a cookie sheet and one on flat cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready for use.

6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs, the sugar, cream, milk, and orange zest. Stir in the cooked pine nuts, the swiss chard, and raisins. Spoon the filling into the tart shell and brush the rim of the tart with a little egg wash--this will be the glue for the top crust. Lift the circle of dough onto the tart and pinch the top and bottom crusts together. Trim off any excess dough and brush the top of the tart with an even coating of egg wash.

7. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for about 50 minutes or until the top is beautifully golden. Transfer the tart to a rack and cool.

To serve: The tart should be served a room temperature. Cut into 6 wedges and, if you would like, serve each wedge with a dollop of lightly whipped cream flavored with some vanilla and flower water.

To drink: Pair with a very late harvest wine from the Loire; an excellent one is Quarts de Chaume.