My secret to enjoying chard late into the season is to not start cooking with it until the late fall. It is a substitute plant for my spinach and tender salad greens, and I allow it to grow simply as an ornamental until everything else in the garden has expired. That’s when I start cooking chard enchiladas, chard quiche and spanikopita made with chard. Here is one of my favorites, which takes very little time to prepare and is pure comfort food with all the health benefits of good greens.
Chard and Vermont Cheddar custard
Makes 4 servings
Make this dish in individual cup servings that can turned out onto a dinner plate, or in a single soufflé dish.
3 cups finely chopped fresh chard leaves, stemmed and well rinsed
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, preferably Vermont Cheddar
1/4 teaspoon gray salt
1 /8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 *F. Lightly butter four 4 ounces ramekins. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the chard and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. A handful at a time, squeeze out the excess moisture from the chard. Chop coarsely. You should have about 1 cup chopped chard.
Whisk the cream and yolks in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in the chard, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Ladle or pour equal quantities of the custard into the ramekins, and place in a large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake until the custard are set when given a slight shake, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of each ramekin and invert to unmold.
