Courgette Goats Cheese Tart Recipes

JERSEY ROYALS, COURGETTE & GOAT'S CHEESE TART

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Add the flour, butter, pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt to a bowl and toss to combine. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips, pulling it out of the bowl and dropping back in to get some air into it. Continue until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture. Add a tbsp of iced water, then stir with a knife until it starts to come together, adding a splash more water if needed. Use your hands to lightly knead the dough and form a smooth ball. Press down lightly with your palms to form a disc, wrap in baking parchment (to stop it sweating) and chill in the fridge for 30 mins. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Once the pastry has rested, roll it out between two sheets of baking parchment (I find this helps, as it's very short) and line a buttered 22cm tart tin. Don't worry if the pastry rips - you can patch it very easily. Crumple and un-crumple some baking parchment and line your pastry with it. Put in some baking beans (or uncooked rice or dried chickpeas if you don't have them) and bake for 20 mins until golden and nutty. Remove the beans and cook for 5 mins more, then allow the tart to cool. Reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the fennel seeds and cook for a few mins, then stir in the garlic, courgette, spring onion, fennel and some seasoning. Cook gently, stirring, for 8 mins or until the courgette starts to colour, then stir in the lemon juice, watercress and herbs.
• Whisk the ricotta, eggs and soft goat's cheese with the lemon zest until you have a smooth custard with a few lumps. Season generously, then spread a thin layer of the custard over the pastry case. Top with the potatoes and goat's cheese slices. Fold half the courgette mix through the rest of the custard and carefully pour over the goat's cheese, then top with the rest of the courgette mix. Bake on a tray for 45 mins-1 hr until the custard is set but still a little wobbly. Cool to room temp before serving.

COURGETTE & GOAT'S CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lightly dust a surface with flour, then roll out the pastry into a large, 5mm thick circle. Use to line a deep, 23cm tart tin with removable base. Trim away excess pastry. Prick all over with a fork, then line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Cook for 10-15 mins until starting to turn golden. Remove paper and beans, then cook for 5 mins more until crisp and cooked through. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, put the saffron in a cup with 1 tbsp hot water, then leave to infuse. Mix grated courgettes with 1 tsp salt, then place in a colander. Slice the last courgette very thinly lengthways into long ribbons (use a vegetable peeler). Sprinkle with salt, then put on top of the grated courgettes. Put the colander over a bowl to drain for at least 30 mins. Tip into the middle of a clean tea towel over the sink, twist and squeeze the tea towel getting every drop of the green liquid out.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Put the courgette slices to one side and add the grated courgettes to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 3 mins. Tip the grated courgettes into a bowl. Lightly beat the eggs, then add all but 2 tbsp to the courgette bowl. Pour in the cream, the saffron and soaking water, then mix well. Season generously with pepper, and salt if it needs it (it may be salty enough).
• Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the tart case. Bake for 5 mins, until the egg has set and sealed the case. Pour in the mix. Crumble on the goat's cheese. Lay the courgette strips over the top like the spokes of a wheel. Bake for 40 mins, until just set, but still a little wobbly. Cool and serve at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse 12 to 14 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the processor running, pour the vinegar and ice water through the feed tube and continue to process and pulse until the dough just comes together. Dump out on a floured board, form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander set over a plate. Toss it with 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Spread the zucchini out on a clean dish towel, roll it up, and squeeze gently to remove some of the liquid. Put the zucchini slices into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With a fork, mash together the goat cheese, thyme, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured board to an 11-inch circle and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lay the zucchini slices in tightly overlapping circles, starting at the very edge of the pastry (the zucchini will shrink when it bakes). Continue overlapping circles of zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Cut in wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
• Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI, CORN AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles small gravel. Stream in 1/3 cup water while pulsing. Add more, if necessary, until mixture just starts to come together. Turn out onto a clean work surface and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Dust work surface lightly with flour and roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer dough to tart pan and press dough evenly up sides and onto the bottom of a pan. Trim edges with a knife. Prick with a fork several times (this helps prevent air bubbles). Line with foil or parchment paper, leaving some overhang. Place on a baking sheet and fill with pie weights and bake until crust is dry around edges, about 25 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Return to oven and bake until crust is golden, about ten more minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add thyme and garlic and stir. Add corn and season with 1/2-teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes more until corn is bright. Remove from heat.
• In the bowl of the food processor, mix cream cheese, goat cheese, eggs, and remaining 1/2-teaspoon salt and 1/4-teaspoon pepper until smooth.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°. Spread corn mixture over the cooled crust into an even layer. Top with cheese mixture and spread into an even layer that meets all the crust's edges. Layer zucchini on top in a slightly overlapping pattern until completely covered. Drizzle olive oil over all the zucchini (this will help them to brown in the oven). Bake until slightly puffed and zucchini is golden, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool and remove from pan sides. Garnish with chives.
• Match this mouthwatering Zucchini, Corn and Goat Cheese Tart recipe with the bright acidity, stone fruit, and tropical flavors in the Tom Gore Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.

MINI ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pie crust on floured work surface. Using 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out 24 rounds; transfer to prepared sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Place in freezer until dough is firm, about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep frozen.
• Toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Place zucchini in another medium bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and thyme. Sprinkle zucchini with pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread goat cheese generously over each frozen dough round. Fold 3 to 4 zucchini slices in half and place in concentric circle atop 1 dough round, creating flower-like pattern. Repeat with remaining zucchini and dough (reserve any remaining zucchini for another use). Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until crusts are light golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to platter. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.