Classifying Dishes as Savory/Sweet

[Anna N]

Manager's note: This and the subsequent posts were split from https://forums.egullet.org/topic/162768-making-savory-tarts-with-vegetables/.

 

I am wondering why you think that I might  confuse these preparations with desserts. 

[Tropicalsenior]

Nor would I ever think of something like this as a desert. With the crust, it is more like a vegetable pot pie. I grew up with creamed vegetables and when my girls were young, I could get them to eat any vegetable if I put it in a cream sauce with cheese. I no longer make my Bechamel on the stove, though. I always make it in the microwave. I haven't had a scorched pan in years.

[liuzhou]

Well, I'm in the 'of course they aren't desserts' camp, too. I would never have thought that.

They aren't new, either. My mother made tarts identical to these some 60 years ago or more! Didn't need a Robot Coupe, either.

[shain]

I don't wish to put words into cteavin's mouth, but not all cultures and people are as familiar with all of the variety of dishes in existence.

I could see how without knowing of French style quiches and savory tarts, one could assume all tarts are desserts.

[Anna N]

4 minutes ago, shain said:

I could see how without knowing of French style quiches and savory tarts, one could assume all tarts are desserts.

But so many cultures, not only French, make savoury pies, tarts and turnovers. 

[shain]

8 minutes ago, Anna N said:

But so many cultures, not only French, make savoury pies, tarts and turnovers. 

 

True. But as a counter point, there are also many cultures that uses beans mostly for sweets (e.g. anko). Still, for many Westerners this will seem very strange, I also won't be surprised if for many in those cultures, a savory application of bean paste will seem strange as well.

Edited June 15, 2021 by shain (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

In Latin American cultures, almost everything baked in a crust is savory. Occasionally you will find a sweet empanada but they are not common. The nicaraguans have something that they are crazy about that is made with a very salty cheese and a lot of sugar.

As for beans, they would never think of putting sugar in them. Most of them think that North American baked beans are totally disgusting.

One has to stop and think that the cooking in the United States has evolved by Leaps and Bounds since the 1950s. Before the Advent of Julia Child, cooking magazines, television cooking shows, and now the internet most Americans had never eaten anything in a pie crust except a desert.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Anna N]

9 minutes ago, shain said:

 

True. But as a counter point, there are also many cultures that uses beans mostly for sweets (e.g. anko). Still, for many Westerners this will seem very strange, I also won't be surprised if for many in those cultures, a savory application of bean paste will seem strange as well.

There is no doubt that some dishes straddle the line between dessert and vegetable. Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows comes to mind. Nevertheless I find it quite a stretch to confuse vegetables in a bechamel enclosed in a pastry shell to be a dessert. Can we agree to disagree? 

[shain]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

There is no doubt that some dishes straddle the line between dessert and vegetable. Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows comes to mind. Nevertheless I find it quite a stretch to confuse vegetables in a bechamel enclosed in a pastry shell to be a dessert. Can we agree to disagree? 

 

I fully agree, it's just that my interpretation of the OPs intention is different - As I see it they meant "those are dishes that are like tarts (which are assumed to be sweet)" rather than "those are dishes that you could confuse for desserts".

😁

[Tropicalsenior]

One important consideration that might lead one to mistake the dish of @cteavin as a desert is the appearance. I have seen a picture of it on another thread and it is beautiful enough to appear on any dessert buffet. Until you cut into it you would not realize that it is a savory tart.

[heidih]

Chicken pot pie from the freezer section was considered a treat dinner by many of my contemporaries in Los Angeles in the 50's and 80s. My mom did npot do frozen dinner stuff so I tasted at friends' hoes. Was gloppy to me. 

[Kim Shook]

Well, I can only say that these look and sound fantastic.  I loved the idea of the broccoli one and would probably do the cheese add in with that.  I'm also thinking about how good roasted cauliflower would be.  

 

I understood the "dessert" reference (perhaps with a little smile?), this looks like nothing I've ever seen before and a big thank you for posting it.  

[Honkman]

They are variations on eggless quiches. I have seen many similar variations. Ultimately you need a “thickening” agent in a quiche which is normally egg but it is not unusual to use bechamel sauce and vegetable puree (but you could also use mashed tofu etc)

[Anna N]

Eggless quiche seems to me to be a bit of a stretch. 

This is a very similar preparation but done crostata style. It is simply called a “rustic vegetable tart”. 
Here.

I would think that “vegetable tart” would cover it. If you decide to go the crostata route then “rustic vegetable tart” would work. If you want to put a pastry lid on top then “vegetable pot pie” would work.

 

If I ever wanted to find it again in the recipe archive its current title would not be very helpful. 

[Tropicalsenior]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

It is simply called a “rustic vegetable tart”. 
Here.

Sounds delicious.

[cteavin]

7 hours ago, Anna N said:

I am wondering why you think that I might  confuse these preparations with desserts. 

 

A couple of reasons:

 

When I make these at home, most people assume they're desserts, especially when I pipe them onto pastry. The other is that the photo I chose to use was of pumpkin and I didn't want people to think it was a pumpkin pie. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Oatmeal.

 

I had a discussion this evening with a coworker:  he enjoys his oatmeal with sugar, cinnamon. and raisins.  His girlfriend has her oatmeal with salsa, vinegar, and peppers.

 

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Oatmeal.

 

I had a discussion this evening with a coworker:  he enjoys his oatmeal with sugar, cinnamon. and raisins.  His girlfriend has her oatmeal with salsa, vinegar, and peppers.

 

 

This brought to mind this old blog post of mine...

 

Quote

A week or two ago, SE noticed an article in the NY Times food section, written by Mark Bittman and extolling the virtues of savory, whole grain breakfasts. Things like wheat berries with scallions and soy sauce, polenta "pizza" with pancetta and spinach - well, you get the picture. And on a video on the Times' web site, Bitty (as Gwyneth likes to refer to him) suggests substituting oatmeal for the wheat berries - aha, a eureka moment, I thought. Although, let's face it folks, we've all been eating savory breakfasts for a long time - after all, what is bacon and eggs if not savory? Anyway, back to my eureka moment...

 

http://tastytravails.blogspot.com/2009/02/oatmeal-or-eat-your-mush.html

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

This brought to mind this old blog post of mine...

 

 

http://tastytravails.blogspot.com/2009/02/oatmeal-or-eat-your-mush.html

 

Can't speak for everyone but I'd have my eggs and bacon with generous jam or jelly.