A Christmas Tart with Crispy Pastry and Crunchy Feta

Around half of my close family are vegetarian or non-meat eaters, so one of our Christmas gatherings will probably include the usual poultry but definitely one of my vegetarian creations. The 'others' are kind and aware of the roast potato thing (separate, cooked in oil) and the rest of it, so all will be well.

This year, we expect that eight of us will meet up at my brother's for a pre-Christmas lunch, and I've been practising the main course that I'll bring for myself, Mr P, and any of the others who are tempted. It has eight ingredients and needs 25-30 mins baking. 

Best way is to make the pastry case first, to cover the base and sides of the dish, and leave it chilling in the fridge while prepping all other ingredients. If using frozen pastry sheets, leave in the fridge overnight to thaw or at room temp about 3h. Once the case is ready, 20mins should see the ingredients processed and the tart ready for the oven. Quantities can be halved, doubled and so on. If preparing in advance, don't fill the pastry case until it's time to bake the tart, otherwise the base could go soggy.

This quantity nicely fills a shallow 18-20cm diameter dish, and it's best to line the base with a circle of parchment to make sure the pastry won't stick to the dish.

Christmas Tart - serves 4.  
Oven can go on at around the time the mushrooms start to sautee, at 180C.
Here's what mine looked like - any leftover pastry can be made into decorations and just placed on the top:

Ingredients
200g short pastry - home-made or as a frozen ready-rolled sheet, rolled out a little
          more thinly to make it bake to crispy and light
2 tbsp oil
150g interesting mushrooms, e.g. shiitake, oyster (straight whites OK too), trimmed
          and coarsely sliced
6 tbsp cranberry sauce, drained of loose liquid
1 egg
60ml double cream
150g vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts, halved
80g feta, roughly chopped

Method
1  As above, line the base of the oven-proof dish with parchment, set the pastry
          in it and leave to chill.
2  Heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the mushrooms and sautee gently 4-5 mins,
          stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool.
3  Spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the base of the tart.
4  Beat the egg and cream in a small bowl.
5  Scatter the chestnuts, mushrooms and feta evenly over the tart.
6  Pour the egg and cream mixture into the dish, aiming for it to top all of the
          other ingredients and fill any gaps.
7  Bake towards the top of the oven for 25-30mins until nicely browned. Remove
          from the oven and leave for 3 mins or so to finish setting before serving.
          
Serve with ...
... just a side salad for a light meal, otherwise roasted potatoes, boiled and buttered baby potatoes, broccoli or beans. I don't think this needs a sauce, but it could take a parsley sauce quite nicely.


Alternatives
Canned evaporated milk - maybe 100ml - could replace the cream if necessary. For a herby version, perhaps thyme leaves or snipped basil. Blue cheese could replace feta, and tastes great cooked, but here the feta ends up slightly crunchy which is delightful along with the crispy pastry.

Nice Savoury Tart for the Family - Leek, Mushroom & Walnut

Usually my recipes serve 2 or 4, but since I made this tart for 6 of us, here are the recipe and the quantities used. It's at its finest straight out of the oven - and is most easily divided by cutting with scissors! Can be eaten at room temperature, or - if there is any left - reheated in a moderate oven for about ten minutes.

Ready-rolled pastry is a little more expensive than block, but saves so much time. Here I used a single sheet of Sainsbury's puff pastry; it weighs 375g, which is a little more than most other brands, and just right for six.

Leek, Mushroom and Walnut Tart
Ingredients

READY

375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
3 tbsp decent oil
4 fat leeks, trimmed & sliced to about 15mm
200g mushrooms, trimmed & thinly sliced
50g walnut pieces, chopped coarsely
2 eggs
150ml creme fraiche or double cream
90g blue cheese - preferably vegetarian Stilton
2 tbsp snipped sage leaves (or other herb)

Method 
1  Line a large rectangular baking sheet with parchment. Unroll the pastry and place 
    on the sheet, then use fingers to pinch up the sides all round to about 15mm.

STEADY

2  Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan and saute 
    the leeks for about 10 mins; stir occasionally.
    Move them from the pan into a large bowl.

3  Add the rest of the oil to the pan and saute the
    mushrooms and walnuts for 3-4 mins. Add to 
    the leeks.

4  Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl with the creme 
    fraiche or cream, then crumble in the cheese, 
    add the sage and mix well.

5  Spread the leeks and mushrooms evenly across the pastry, then pour the egg/creme
    mixture over them and smooth out.

6  Bake for 30-35 mins until the filling is set and the pastry browning nicely.

GO!

Adjustments, Anyone?
If the family likes tomatoes, halved baby cherry or plum tomatoes could be dotted around the tart before baking, cut side upwards. If there's no sage, thyme leaves or coriander would be good. Hazel nuts could be substituted for walnuts, and you could add peas or sweetcorn!

Sides
We had a salad of baby spinach leaves, rocket, celery, cucumber, chopped dates and chopped pears. For a more substantial meal, buttered baby potatoes would be nice, and parsnips roasted in a lower shelf as the tart cooks instead of salad.

And to Drink?
Either a dry white wine or a light red (e.g. beaujolais) might go well, otherwise perhaps apple juice or just a sparkling mineral water.

Cauliflower, Stilton & Tomato Tart, a pub favourite

While thinking of dropping into a chain pub/restaurant, I checked their menu online, probably like countless other skeptical vegetarians. Only two choices appeared, a simple pasta dish, or - cauliflower, cheese and tomato tart. That'd be good. But then again, it sounded so simple that I decided to make it at home. Cauliflower, cheese, tomato, pastry?

The freezer already contains portions of various tarts, but since I enjoy making them to eat straight from the oven, we forget to forage for them. Accordingly, I make this dish for just two portions, especially as there was half a rolled sheet of puff pastry in the freezer just asking for it. Hence the picture which looks as though the tart is topped with giant tomatoes. 

The quantities here would make four to six helpings. Once the pastry is thawed in the fridge, the tart takes about an hour from start to serving and there are no complicated manoeuvres. The step of brushing the pastry with egg and baking an initial five minutes before filling isn't vital, but it helps to form a barrier to prevent the base from becoming soggy.

Cauliflower, Stilton and Tomato Tart
The oven will need to be at 175C, middle shelf. A baking sheet ready lined with parchment will make sure the pastry doesn't stick while cooking. The pastry should be thawed, preferably overnight or for a few hours in the fridge. If you like pastry to be thin, the sheet can be rolled out to a slightly larger area.

Ingredients
1 sheet of frozen rolled puff pastry
1 medium cauliflower trimmed into small florets (leaves can be saved to use later)
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion (or 2 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100ml double cream
100g Stilton, crumbled (or another blue cheese or Cheddar)
Half tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

Method
1  Unroll the pastry and place centrally on the lined baking sheet. Turn up about 15mm
         all around the edge, pinching the corners to help keep the turn-up in place. Prick
         the base a number of times with a fork to help prevent it rising in the oven.
2  Put the oven on about now!
3  Boil a good amount of water in a large pan. Add the cauliflower and simmer 6-7 mins
         then drain well and leave to cool a little.
4  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan, then saute the onions gently for 5 mins.
5  Brush the pastry case very thinly with a little of the beaten egg; put it in the oven
         for 5 mins to help seal the base, then remove from oven.
6  Add the cream to the eggs and mix well. Stir in the crumbled cheese and the salt &
         pepper.
7  When the tart is out, press the base down gently if it has risen. Spread the onions 
         over the base and arrange the cauliflower florets over them. Pour the egg mixture
         carefully on top, then arrange the tomato slices over the tart.
8  Bake for about 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the filling looks set.

We served this with only a heap of buttered Jersey Royals sprinkled with chopped fresh coriander. And a dry white wine.

A chopped herb of choice could be sprinkled over the tart before cooking, or sliced mushrooms added just before baking. 

An alternative presentation is to make individual tarts, either on a baking sheet using the 'turn-up' way, or using a tray of individual Yorkshire pudding tins. In this case, slightly less filling would be needed. The tart is nice at room temperature, but if there are leftovers, I think they're nicest given about 5 mins in the oven to crisp up the pastry. Shortcrust pastry would be OK and perhaps more traditional, but I'm seduced by the golden flakiness of puff pastry and always have it in the freezer. 

I keep two files of recipe cuttings and scribblings. One has ideas which sound great but are yet to be tried, but the other is the tried-and-tested collection, separated into lots of categores in a really nerdy way, e.g.starters not soup, soup, mains with pastry, mains with pasta, veg sides, biscuits/cakes.This recipe has gone straight into the latter.

Caramelised Onion Tart with Cherry Tomatoes and Balsamic

Another of my favourites, easily adjusted to suit. It's a robust tart which serves 4 to 6 depending on appetites, and is very good at room temperature, too.

A sheet of ready-made short pastry can be used, rolled out a little more thinly maybe, or it can be made by rubbing in 90g softened butter and 130g plain flour then drawing into a dough with a little water. The tart in this picture had a base of ready-made puff pastry, rolled out very thinly.

Total time needed is about 35 minutes to prepare, then 35 minutes to bake. I use a flan dish diameter 21cm, lined with a circle of parchment. The oven should be at 160C, middle shelf, but need not be switched on until you get to state 3 of the method.

Caramelised Onion Tart with Cherry tomatoes and Balsamic

Ingredients

220g approx of short pastry (otherwise puff pastry)

2 tbsp oil (preferably rapeseed or olive)

knob of butter

600g onions (6-7 medium) peeled and coarsely chopped - looks a lot but they reduce on 

        cooking

2 level tbsp soft dark brown sugar

2 tbsp dark balsamic vinegar

2 medium eggs

120m cream - single or double

3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs - thyme, basil or rosemary

30g grated Cheddar cheese

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

1  Roll out the pastry very thinly to a circle 4cm larger in diameter than the flan dish, then

          place carefully and centrally in the lined dish so the base and sides are covered. 

          Run a knife around the rim of the dish to trim the pastry.

2  Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan, and fry the onions gently for 15 mins, stirring

          occasionally.

3  Add the sugar and vinegar and cook for a further 8-10 mins until thickened. Use kitchen

          paper to mop up any remaining liquid.

4  Meanwhile, beat the eggs lightly, then use a pastry brush to put a very thin wash of egg 

          on the pastry to help seal it.

5  Place the flan dish in the oven just for 4 minutes. Add the cream, herbs and cheese to 

          the eggs and mix well.

6  Remove the dish from the oven and pile in the onions, spreading evenly. Pour the egg

          mixture over the onions, again spreading the components evenly. Place the tomato

          halves evenly around the edge, then bake for around 30 mins or until the top is

          browned. Remove from the oven, then leave for 5 mins before serving.

Accompaniments could include baby potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, buttered carrots, or whole green beans. A dry white wine goes really well, or a dry cider, otherwise perhaps apple juice.

Beetroot and Blue Cheese Tart

There's a lot of noise about beetroot at the moment, with suggestions that it has significant health benefits. That apart, although some can't abide it, beetroot can be excellent in a cake mix or salad or - as here - for the star ingredient in a vegetarian dish.

Of course it's noble to buy raw beets and boil them for half an hour or more, but I rarely do this as they are easily available ready-cooked and vacuum packed. If they're served in a salad or otherwise not cooked further, maybe the 'in vinegar' version is good, but I prefer plain.

by Annie Mole
via flickr.com

This recipe serves four, and once the pastry is thawed, should take no more than an hour from start to serving. It's fine at room temperature, but best straight from the oven.

As well as the ingredients listed, a lightly-greased flan dish with diameter around 22cm is needed. A floured board and rolling pin are required if you go along with making the pastry a little thinner than it comes. The oven needs to be at 190C (or 175C for fan type).

Beetroot and Blue Cheese Tart

Ingredients

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (Jus-Roll now do a 'lighter' version)

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion (about 200g), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 vacuum-pack of ready-cooked beetroot (500g), drained

1 heaped tbsp soft brown sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme)

90g blue cheese, crumbled

Method

1  Unless you like the pastry thick, roll it out more thinly on the floured board. Lift and

    place it carefully over the flan dish and, without stretching, ease the sides down so 
    that it sits fully in the angle between base and side. Run a sharp knife around the top 
    of the dish to remove surplus pastry. (This can be used for jam tarts, pasty, tartlet etc.)
    Keep the dish in the fridge while preparing the filling.

2  Heat the oil in a medium pan and fry the onion gently for 8 mins, stirring occasionally.

3  Cut each beetroot into 8 pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper. Add to the pan with
    the sugar and herbs. Fry for a further 6 mins, occasionally stirring gently.

4  Using a slotted spoon (to avoid making the pastry soggy), lift the beetroot mixture out
    of the pan and spread evenly over the pastry base. Sprinkle the cheese over it.

5  Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 mins or so, until the cheese is bubbling
    and the pastry is browned.

Serving Suggestions 
Boiled and buttered baby or new potatoes, baked potato, stir-fried mange touts, broccoli. (A red or orange vegetable might clash, and we can't be doing with that.) Another idea is button mushrooms sauteed in butter then mixed with a little double cream and dill seeds.

Thanks for looking at this post, anyway. And if you felt like following and don't already, then that would be most excellent!

Courgette, Goat Cheese & Mushroom Tart - without pastry!

Number 3 of my recipes for the Capricorn challenge is this savoury tart with a pleasing mixed consistency and rich, tangy flavour. Its sort-of Unique Selling Point is that it has no pastry and is wheat-free - the case is a crunchy rice-based shell which has its own tempting taste. It's a nice one to make for anyone avoiding wheat for whatever reason.


This is dear to my heart, as around twenty years ago, I suffered unexplained but severe abdominal pains and a great weariness. The NHS kindly tested all parts of me for possible causes, even considering the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as I'd been to Bangladesh (to see the work of a charity) not long before. Eventually I discovered the problem myself: the symptoms came on severely a couple of hours after eating a salad sandwich on wholemeal bread. Bingo! For about three years after that I went to enormous trouble to avoid wheat, though within a few days I was back to my normal bouncy self - couldn't believe it at first. Eventually I cautiously took a small amount of wheat and built up, and after that my diet became normal. Result! Anyway, back to the job in hand.


This recipe will serve 4-5 as a main course, and it can be eaten straight from the oven, warm, or at room temperature (e.g. at a picnic). It takes about 90 minutes from start to serving. It has quite a number of ingredients and stages, but they aren't difficult. A number of alternatives are listed for the ingredients, with the most suitable first.

Courgette, Goat Cheese and Mushroom Tart in a Rice Case

The oven should be heated to 175C or 160C for fan, shelf in the centre. 

A non-stick straight-sided flan tin or oven-proof dish is needed, ideally about 4cm deep and 21cm in diameter. For insurance, the base should be lined with a baking parchment circle. (Place tin on parchment, draw round the outside of the base, then cut just within the line.

Ingredients

100g risotto rice (otherwise long grain is fine)

150 courgettes (approx 1 large or 2 medium), trimmed and sliced fairly finely

75ml stock (or water)

60g Emmental cheese (or cheddar), coarsely grated

3 free-range eggs (1 with yolk/white separated)

2 tsp cornflour

80ml milk

30ml double cream

60g goat cheese (pref Capricorn), crumbled

100g mushrooms, trimmed and sliced fairly finely

1 level tsp grated nutmeg

Method
1  Bring 600ml water to the boil in a large pan. Add the rice and simmer for 15 mins until
          just softening. Drain in a colander, run cold water over to cool it and drain again.
2  Meanwhile, put the courgettes in a small pan with the stock or water. Bring to the boil
          and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain well and pat gently with kitchen paper 
          to remove some more of the liquid.
3  Place the rice in a bowl with 40g of the Emmental/cheddar and the egg white, and mix
          thoroughly. Press over the base and sides of the lined tin to make an even case
          with no gaps. Bake in the oven for 5 mins then allow to cool a little. (Keep oven on.)
4  Place the cornflour in a medium bowl and add a little of the milk. Stir to a smooth paste
          and then add the remaining milk, the cream, the 2 whole eggs and single yolk, 
          mixing well. Stir in the goat cheese, mushrooms, courgettes and nutmeg.
5  Pour this filling into the rice case and smooth over, making sure the 'bits' are evenly
          spread. Sprinkle the remaining 20g cheese over the tart and bake for 30-35 mins
          until it is puffed up and browned all over.


The crunchy rice shell is very versatile. The vegetables can be endlessly varied; I'm thinking tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, chopped tenderstem broccoli or artichoke hearts, with added thyme, walnuts or toasted pine nuts. And now I'm really hungry!