Get the Recipe: Goat Cheese and Tomato Tarts
Lovely tomato and goat cheese tarts, with a flaky shortcrust pastry. Perfect for lunch or with a salad for dinner.
Ingredients
For pastry dough (or start with store-bought pie pastry): *See Recipe Notes
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, reduce if using salted butter
- 5 to 8 Tablespoons ice water
For goat cheese and tomato filling:
- 8 haricots verts, trimmed and cut into 3-4 inch lengths
- 9 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 rounds goat cheese, about 1/2-inch thick
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish
For custard:
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Make pastry dough: Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 5 tablespoons of ice water evenly over the mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If the dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork the dough, or the pastry will be tough. Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 2 portions. Flatten slightly, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Make tart shells: Arrange 6 tart tins (with removable bottoms) on a baking sheet. Roll out 1 portion of dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 rough squares. Gently fit each square into a ring (do not stretch dough). Trim excess dough flush with the rim. Lightly prick each shell several times with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. (non-convection)
- Line shells with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans to weigh down. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shells until golden-brown all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, leaving in tins.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. (non-convection)
- Assemble tarts: Cook haricots verts in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and divide among 4 tart shells, with ends resting on the edge slightly. Place a round of goat cheese in the centre.
- Whisk together custard ingredients. Fill shells with custard, leaving 1/2-inch of pastry exposed. Sprinkle chives over custard part, then add 3 tomato halves to each tart. Add a bit more custard if necessary, if they seem low.
- Bake tarts on baking sheets until custard is just set, about 20 minutes. Cool until warm, remove from tins and enjoy warm garnished with additional fresh chives. To make ahead, cool completely (in tins), cover and refrigerate (in tins). Re-warm by removing them from tins and placing them on a baking sheet in a 350F oven for a few minutes.
Notes
Notes: Pastry recipe will make enough pastry for 12 tarts. Since tart pans vary in size, I thought it was better to have too much, than too little. If you are only making the 6 tarts, you can refrigerate or freeze your extra dough for another batch later or some other pie or tart. Note that the filling/custard amounts are for 6 tarts. Double if you are making 12.
If you are starting with store-bought pastry, you will need enough for 2 crusts for 6 tarts.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 581kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 198mg, Sodium: 244mg, Potassium: 197mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1580IU, Vitamin C: 6.7mg, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 3mg
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