Tart

Mediterranean Tart

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A simple summery tart for supper! What more can you want? Courgettes, tomatoes, cheese accompanied by new potatoes, make this a tasty weeknight supper.

Serves 2

Ingredients: 200g potatoes, 150g cherry tomatoes, 3-4 baby courgettes or 1 courgette, 2 shallots, a few stems of oregano, small bunch of chives.

From the larder: 1 roll ready-made puff pastry, tomato purée, 100g goat’s cheese or 1 ball mozzarella, 1 tbsp olive oil.

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bring a pan of water to boil for potatoes.
  • Slice the tomatoes, courgettes and shallots and chop oregano leaves.chopped veg 600px
  • Unroll the whole roll of pastry onto a baking tray. Leaving a 1cm border, spread with tomato purée, and sprinkle with the oregano.pastry with tom puree + oreg 600pxpastry with veg + moz horizontal 600px
  • Cover with the chopped tomatoes, courgettes and shallots and tear over the mozzarella.
  • Place in the oven and bake the tart for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.tart close up
  • Meanwhile, halve potatoes and boil for 10-15 minutes. When soft, drain them and chop chives. Mix together with a splash of olive oil and season to taste.
  • Remove tart from the oven when puffed and serve with potato salad.plate plus tart.jpg

Asparagus Tart with Beet Slaw

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A pretty asparagus tart that’s super simple to make, but looks fancy and fun and is accompanied by a beaut beet salad. This meal is one of our favourites.

Ingredients: 4-5 asparagus spears, 1 beetroot, 1 stick of celery(allergen), 50g bunch of rocket and 2 stems of dill.

From the larder: 1 roll of puff pastry, 100g goats cheese or feta, 1 egg, 4tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional: 1 tsp mayonnaise).

 Instructions:

  • Gather all your ingredients.ingredients
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Beat the feta or goats cheese with the egg. It should be thick but easily spreadable.
  • Unroll the pastry onto a small baking tray approximately 20 x 30cm. Fold over or trim off any extra pastry and score a line around the edge of the tart creating a 1-inch border.
  • Cut the asparagus spears in half lengthways. Spread the egg and cheese mixture onto the pastry, lay all of the asparagus on top cut side down, season with salt and pepper and a light drizzle of oil. Bake for 15-20 mins until pastry is puffed and golden and asparagus tender.unbaked tart overhead
  • While the tart is baking, make the slaw: grate the beetroot and finely chop the celery. Combine in a bowl with rocket and dill leaves.beet salad unmixed
  • Crumble in any remaining goat’s cheese.
  • Whisk together the oil, vinegar and optional mayonnaise. Adjust proportions according to taste. Mix into the salad.
  • When the tart is golden, serve slices with the beet slaw.whole tart overheadlandscape whole meal

Fennel and Dill Tart

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Tarts are always so pretty and this fennel tart does not disappoint, especially when served with zesty multicoloured carrot ribbons that pop with colour and zing with taste.

Ingredients: half a bulb of fennel, 2 shallots, 10g dill, 2 multi-coloured carrots (purple, orange, white or yellow), handful of rocket.

From the larder: 1 sheet of short crust pastry (bought or make your own), 2 eggs, juice of ½ lemon or balsamic vinegar, oil and butter (optional: 50g goat’s cheese and 50ml cream).

Instructions:

  • If you are making your own pastry, See recipe below.
  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Roll out pastry and lay in a shallow 9-inch pie dish or on a baking tray folding over to make your own edges. Cover with foil or baking beads and bake blind for 15 minutes. (A note on baking. The idea with blind baking is to crisp up the pastry so that it does not become soggy when you add the filling. The foil and baking beans, or rice, which also works well, are used to add weight so the pastry doesn’t puff up with hot air.)blind baking with rice 600px.jpg
  • Meanwhile, chop shallots and slice fennel into thin strips; sauté in a knob of butter until slightly soft and translucent. Leave the wispy fronds of the fennel out and set aside.
  • In a bowl, crack the egg and beat together with fennel fronds, chopped dill, pinch of salt and pepper. If using goat’s cheese, cut into chunks and mix into the egg mixture along with cream. Remove the pastry from the oven and place fennel, shallots and egg mixture into the pie case. Pop back in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden and set.
  • While the tart is baking, peel carrots and then use the peeler to make carrot ribbons. Squeeze lemon juice over and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in rocket. Serve slices of the tart with carrot ribbons and enjoy!
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Pastry:

Ingredients: 225 plain flour, 110g butter, water.

Instructions: Cut butter into cubes and rub into flour with your fingertips until the mixture feels like breadcrumbs.
Using a fork, stir in just enough cold water (2-3tbsp) to bring the pastry together, gather into a ball, cling film and stick in the fridge for 15 mins. (Be conservative on the water, drier pastry will give a crispier crust).

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Caramelised Leek, Tomato and Herb Tart

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Baby onions, leeks, herbs and tomatoes make a fabulous mix for this super simple tart. Top it with goats cheese and and pop it in the oven for a tasty meal for two.

Ingredients: 1 leek, 100g baby white onions, 80g cherry tomatoes, sprig of oregano, sprig of marjoram.

Larder: 50–100g goats cheese, 1 roll of puff pastry, olive oil, 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
  • Slice the leeks and onions and place in a saucepan with a knob of butter. When the butter has melted and the leeks are separating and softening, add 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar and continue to cook on a low heat for about another 5 minutes or so until leeks and onions are soft and caramalised.
  • Meanwhile halve the tomatoes and strip herbs from their stems and chop.
  • Prepare the pastry by unrolling it on a tray, scoring a 1 inch border around the edge and then brush inside the border with olive oil.
  • When leeks and onions are soft, spread out on the pastry inside the border.
  • Top with halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with the herbs and finally dot chunks of goats cheese around the pastry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.tart-ready-to-bake-600px
  • Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden and then serve.

Patty Pan Tartlets

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Ingredients: 200g Potatoes, 1 clove of garlic, 1 courgette, 3 patty pan, 4 shallots, 2 carrots, small bunch of tarragon, very small bunch of chives.

Larder: 1 roll of ready-made short crust pastry, 50g cheddar cheese, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 eggs. Or make your own pastry using 175g flour and 85g butter – see recipe step email.

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease 6-8 holes in a muffin tin. Roll out the pastry and cut circles slightly to big for the holes. Press into the holes with pastry slightly oversized to allow for shrinking. Place a circle of tin foil or baking paper on top of the pastry and weigh down with dry rice. Bake blind for 10-15 minutes.
  • Chop the shallots and mince one garlic clove. Finely dice the patty pans, courgette and tarragon leaves.
  • Sauté the shallots and garlic for 3 minutes, and then add the patty pans, courgettes, tarragon. Season and cook until just turning brown.
  • Remove pastry from oven. Remove baking paper and rice. Fill pastry cases with patty pan mixture. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour over the tartlets. Top each tartlet with grated cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is golden and tart filling puffed up.
  • While tartlets are baking, boil potatoes until soft and when cooked mix in chopped chives. Grate the carrot and mix with lemon juice.
  • Serve tartlets with the potatoes and grated carrot.baked-tarts-close-up-cropped