“Turnip!” the kids shout, and I’m happy to oblige. I reach into the crisper and pull out the round root. Who can predict teen fads?
“Not turnip!” they scream. “Turn up!”
“Not turnip,” I mutter. They want the music louder? “Turn it up?” I ask. The eye-rolls burn.
“Turn up,” they explain: “Good.” Well, I think, turnip is good. Waxy, heavy, bitter. But pretty good. Maybe they are using that other new phrase, the one that means “maximum.”
“Turnt?” I ask, cautiously. They each drop face to palm, fatally embarrassed.
I skulk back to the kitchen, wondering how to make the dirt-dwelling turnip maximally tasty. I peel off the waxy, slice down the heavy, blanch out the bitter. I slather the slices in cream and bake them into a buttery casing.
The turnip tart is beautiful, delicious and satisfying. No doubt the kids have a word for that. I’ll stick with “good.”
Crave more Leah?
Find all your favorite stories and recipes in Leah Eskin’s memoir, “Slices of Life: A Food Writer Cooks Through Many a Conundrum.” Available wherever books are sold.
Turn up tart
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Serves: 6 as a main dish, 8 as a side
1 pound turnips, peeled, thinly sliced
1 pound potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup creme fraiche
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Puffy pastry, see recipe
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream
1 Simmer: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Slip in turnip and potato slices. When water returns to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 minute. Drain. Spread slices on a clean kitchen towel to dry.
2 Toss: Mix creme fraiche, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Slide in turnips and potatoes. Mix gently.
3 Roll: On a lightly floured surface, roll out a large disk of pastry to a 14-inch circle. Fit into a 10- or 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Fill tart with turnip mixture. Roll out remaining disk to an 11- or 12-inch circle. Cover tart. Press bottom and top overhangs together firmly. Trim overhang to 1/4-inch and turn in toward center.
4 Glaze: Set tart on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk together egg yolk and cream; brush over tart. Snip a vent into pastry.
5 Bake: Slide baking sheet into a 425-degree oven. Bake, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350; bake until vegetables turn tender and crust turns golden, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.
Puffy pastry: Briefly mix 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a stand mixer (or by hand). Drop in 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut up. Mix on medium-low (or by hand) to fine crumbs. Dump in 1/2 cup cold water and another 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Mix on low just until pastry comes together in a big unsightly blob, like broken crayons mashed into Play-Doh. Shape dough into 2 disks, one slightly larger than the other. Dust with flour, wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
Provenance: Adapted from a recipe for potato tart by David Tanis, via cooking.nytimes.com.