Monday, November 4, 2013

Vegetable Goat Cheese Tart



This is something I saw a picture of on Pinterest. Unfortunately, it was just an image, but if what I made isn`t the exact same as what I saw, at least it looks similar, and what it looks like I thought was very pretty.  Next time I make this, I will make individual ones. It is super simple, with only a few ingredients. So if you want something that looks beautiful, doesn`t cost much, or take a lot of effort, then this is for you.


What you need:
2 large or 3 medium zucchinis
2 large or 3 medium carrots
thyme (fresh or dried)
olive oil
goat cheese (or feta, or any other kind you like)
1 sheet of blätterteig - puff pastry
pie dish, or individual small baking bowls.

You can also use any other veggies that can peel into strips easily, yellow squash for example.

First, peel the outer layer off the vegetable. You do not need to be perfect.




Next, continue using a peeler, and peel strips until you get to the core of it.  Heat some water in a large pot, and when it boils, add the veg strips. The carrots will need a few minutes to begin to soften, the zucchini not more than a minute. Take them out and let them drain on a paper towel.  If you prefer crunchy veggies, you can skip this part.  Also, another option may be to carefully saute them. You want to keep them in long strips as much as possible as it will be easiest to make the tart.





When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, put 1 Tbls olive oil into a bowl and gently mix to coat. Add 2 Tbls fresh thyme or 1 Tbls dried and mix again.



Put your pastry a pie dish (or individual bowls) with some baking paper underneath, long enough to hang over the sides. This will allow easy removal after cooking. Spread some goat cheese on the pastry base (I used about 1 Tbls) and then you are ready to begin. I also added a little goat cheese around the sides of my last veg strip before folding over the dough. If you are using a different cheese, you can mix it in with the vegetables.



Pick up a vegetable strip - whichever you want, and roll it up like a tape measure so it is in a semi-tight coil. Continue to alternate with the different vegetables. When it gets too big to handle, set it in the middle of your pastry dough and then continue to wrap around it. If you do not have enough vegetables to fill your pan, you can push the dough in a little and then with the excess, use a cookie cutter and make shapes to layer around the edge.





Bake at the time and temperature indicated on your puff pastry, or at about 220 for 15 minutes.
For a golden crust, brush some egg on top of the pastry edge or shapes. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.

brushed with egg



cut in half, you can see the goat cheese underneath



Individual tarts. These I hand rolled before putting them inside. There is parchment paper underneath so I could lift them out easily.