Black Bean Tart with Chili Crust

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 TBS ice water
Raw rice for weighting shell

Filling Ingredients:

3 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBS sour cream
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 TBS olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack, coarsely grated (about 6 ounces)
2 fresh jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
1 TBS ground coriander

Lime Sour Cream Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
Zest from one lime

Preheat oven to 350°.

Make crust: In a bowl with a pastry blender (or in a food processor) pulse together flour, spices, and salt until combined. Add butter and blend or pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated, and mixture forms a ball.

Press dough evenly onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim and chill 15 minutes, or until firm. Line shell with foil and fill with rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and rice and bake crust 10 minutes more, or until golden. Cool crust in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Make filling: In a food processor purée 1 cup canned beans with 2 TBS sour cream until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until warm but not smoking and sauté onion until soft. Add yellow bell pepper, and sauté additional 2 minutes. Cool.

In a large bowl stir together whole beans, bell pepper and onion mixture, Monterey Jack, jalapeños, and ground coriander, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread bean purée evenly onto crust and mound with remaining filling, pressing gently. Bake tart in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until hot through, and cheese is melted. Let tart cool in pan on a rack 15 minutes.

Remove rim of pan and serve tart warm or at room temperature with lime sour cream. Serves 6-8.

Make lime sour cream: In a bowl whisk sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest with salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 1 cup.