This is the most delicious tart to accompany a fresh salad for supper, or just a slice of it on its own when you’re peckish, because you blinkin’ well deserve it! The sun-drenched Mediterranean ingredients will help you feel that sunnier days are definitely on the way.
I’ve used this recipe as a little pastry masterclass as well – because I think the actual ‘how to do it’ with pastry is often overlooked.
Mediterranean Tart
Course: MainDifficulty: MediumIngredients
- For the shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter chilled and cubed
1 large free-range egg
½ tsp salt
1 tablespoon of cold water
- Filling ingredients
3 large free-range eggs
250ml double cream
1 tsp of salt
4 tbsp of tomato sauce (you could use roasted cherry tomatoes instead)
180g extra mature Cheddar grated
75g of feta cheese, cubed
A handful of roasted vegetables
4 tsp of fresh pesto
A handful of sliced black olives
Snipped chives
Directions
- Method for Pastry
- Pour all the ingredients into a food processor and use the pulse button to blitz the ingredients gradually. Do this carefully – it will start to turn into breadcrumbs, then will turn into clumps. When it gets to this stage, empty onto a floured surface and bring together gently – the less you knead the better your pastry as you won’t over work the glutens and end up with tough pastry.
- Wrap the pastry and chill in the fridge for an hour – doing this will help the pastry relax and will prevent it from shrinking when baking.
- On a floured surface roll out the pastry from the centre, moving it around to ensure equal thickness. Roll the pastry’s diameter 3inches larger than your tart tin.
- When you’ve rolled to the right size, about the thickness of a pound coin, roll the pastry towards you over your rolling pin, then unroll the pastry over your tin starting closest to you.
- Gently ease the pastry into the tin using the heel of you hand, whilst pushing up a little at the same time.
- Cut the over-hang by angling the rolling pin.
- When cut gently push up the pastry from the sides, then prick all over with a fork.
- Chill again in the fridge for at least an hour.
- When chilled, line with crumpled baking parchment and line with baking beans.
- Put in a 205C/400 pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 3-4 minutes until just golden.
- Your pastry case is now ready for filling.
- Method for filling
- Lower the oven to 175C/350F.
- Crack the eggs into a jug and whisk with the double cream and salt.
- Spoon the tomato sauce thinly into the pastry case, followed by the cheeses – reserve some of the cheddar and the feta for the final topping.
- Layer with the roasted vegetables, black olives and chives and drizzle over the pesto sauce, again reserve a little of all of these for the final topping.
- Carefully pour over the egg custard, and finish with more of the cheeses and leftover ingredients.
- Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
- Allow to cool in the tin.
Notes
- Allow to cool in the tin.
