Roasted Ratatouille Tart
We seem to have found our island rhythm. I have a sense of when different story times happen, where the best playground are, and which farms open their doors to small visitors. Our life has already become slower and simpler in many ways and I’m relieved to find that I’m happy with our new pace.
Dylan and I recently visited the local bookstore for a special Father’s Day present and I treated myself to a new cookbook, The Fresh & Green Table by Susie Middleton. Susie happens to be the editor-at-large for Fine Cooking magazine and lives down the street from us. I can tell, after flipping through her book, that our little town has inspired her kitchen as much as it has mine.
ROASTED RATATOUILLE TART WITH GOAT CHEESE & MINT:
from The Fresh & Green Table by Susie Middleton
serves 4
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cream
For the filling:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups eggplant, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup red onion, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
For the tart:
flour for dusting
1 disk savory rustic tart dough (recipe below)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 cup grumbled goat cheese
1 tbsp thinly sliced mint
SAVORY RUSTIC TART DOUGH:
makes 2 crusts
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1. In the food processor, combine flour and salt, pulse a few times. Add the butter. Pulse about 20 times then with the motor running stream in the ice water. Stop the motor. Pulse a few more times, just until the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and clump together.
2. Turn the dough out and gather it up into a ball.
3. Divide the dough in half.
4. Shape each piece into a flat disc about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerated for at least an hour up to 2 days. You can also freeze the extra disc of dough for up to a month but thaw it in the fridge before using.
1. Make egg wash: Whisk together egg yolk and cream. Set aside.
2. To make the filling: Preheat oven to 400. Toss all the chopped vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast, on the middle rack, until soft, about 45 minutes. Let cool.
3. To make the tart: Line a baking sheet with parchment and keep oven at 400 with the rack in the middle. Roll out one disc of dough, using a well floured surface and rolling pin, to a 12″ circle. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect or beautiful. It’ll taste great. I like to fold the dough in half then half again to easily transfer it to the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the Parmigiano over the dough, leaving a 2″ border around the edge. Next sprinkle half of the goat cheese, half of the mint, and half of the roasted filing, keeping the 2″ border. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of the Parmigiano, and repeat with the remaining goat cheese, mint, and filling. End with 1 tbsp of Parmigiano.
5. Fold the edges of the dough slightly over the tart. Don’t go crazy making it look perfect. Brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp of Parmigiano over the edges and tart.
6. Bake until nicely golden all over – 38 to 40 minutes. Let cook for a few minutes then use the parchment to slide the tart onto your serving plate. Slice and eat!
I always bring a new cookbook to bed the day I bring it home and tag a handful of recipes to start with. The first corners to be folded down – Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Spicy Garlic Oil, Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Rustic Croutons, Nine-Layer Grilled Vegetable Salad with Avocados, Black Beans & Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette.