A Very Full Tart

Summer is basically tart season even though making such a thing requires blood, sweat, and tears.

Or, at the very least, turning on your oven and making pie crust, which, between the two, may or may not account for two of the three up there.

Seems counterintuitive given how stifling this heat has been, but for those of us without grills or even a real window ledge to dangerously (and almost surely illegally) prop an electric grill onto just so that it is sort of “outdoors” (not that I’ve ever attempted such a thing. ahem)…if we want to do something to use up all of this summer bounty in one fell swoop, tarts are most assuredly it.

The holy grail of summer fare.

This tart is especially so since it uses pretty much all of this season’s best produce – peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and even a sweet potato for good measure. That is some serious bang for your buck, at least in the sense that if you’re going to be turning your oven on anyway, you might as well get as many roasted veggies out of it as you can.

In fact, this tart is so full of juicy delicious caramelized roasted vegetable flavor, smothered in cheese and encased in the flakiest buttery-est (totally a word) pie crust known to man…that I’m going to preemptively tell you order you to double the recipe.

You are totally going to want to have a second tart in your fridge and will rue the day when you have to spend another afternoon with that oven on in the midst of 100 degree temps. And I just refuse to be held responsible for your discomfort.

Savory tart double fisting. It’s happening.

One year ago…Corn-Avocado Salad with Black Beans and Barley, Green Goddess Soup and Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Three years ago…Five Spice Chicken with Pickled Cherries

A Very Full Tart

 

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A Mediterranean-infused tart that is literally overflowing with roasted vegetables.

Yield: 1 9-inch tart

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 2-inch dice
• salt and black pepper
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 recipe savory pie crust
• 8 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• ⅓ cup ricotta
• 4¼ oz feta
• 7 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 cup 2% milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Cut around the stem of the peppers and lift it out along with the seeds. Make sure there are no remaining seeds in the peppers. Place the two peppers in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Put on the top shelf in the oven.
2. Mix the eggplant with 4 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a large baking pan and bake for 12 minutes on the oven shelf beneath the peppers.
3. Add the sweet potato to the pan with the eggplant and stir gently. Roast for another 12 minutes. Add the zucchini to the same pan, stir, and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and the peppers from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325. Put the peppers in a sealed container to cool, then peel their skins off and tear them into strips.
4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Saute the onions with the bay leaves and a pinch of salt for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally, until they ae browned, soft and sweet. Discard the bay leaves when done.
5. Roll out the pie crust to an 11-inch round. Line a 9-inch tart pan with it, leaving the excess hanging over the top edge. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for 10 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown.
6. Scatter the cooked onion over the bottom of the crust. Top with the roasted vegetables, evenly. Scatter half the thyme leaves over them. Sprinkle both cheeses over the top. Put the tomato halves, face-up, on top of the cheese.
7. Whisk the eggs and milk in a small bowl with some salt and pepper. Carefully pour this into the tart. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until set and golden. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Notes

adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty

Nutrition Information

Serving size: Serves 4-6

3.5.3208

Savory Pie Crust

 

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A flaky buttery pie crust for all your savory pie and tart needs.

Yield: 1 9- or 10-inch pie crust

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3-4 tbsp ice water

Instructions

1. Place the flour, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Add in the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle in the water with the machine running, tbsp by tbsp, until the dough starts to come together.
3. Shape dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight before using.

Notes

adapted from Martha Stewart

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙th of recipe

3.5.3208

I am submitting this to this week’s I Heart Cooking Clubs!