ROASTED COURGETTE AND SPRING ONION TART

with goat’s cheese, English mustard and thyme

FOR THE PASTRY

225g plain flour 100g cold butter, diced small

Pinch of salt

1 egg white, whisked with a splash of cold water

FOR THE TART FILLING

3 small, firm courgettes, yellow and green is nice 6 spring onions, trimmed

2 tbsp olive oil

150g soft skin-on goat’s cheese

A few sprigs of thyme 200ml double cream 50ml full-fat milk 4 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tsp English mustard Salt and pepper, to taste

Roast a mix of firm, small yellow and green courgettes along with some spring onions and do try to source a good, local soft goat’s cheese to use in this attractive summery tart.

METHOD

1. First, make the pastry. Put the flour, butter and pinch of salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to form small breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use your fingertips to mix the butter with the flour to form small breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add a couple of tablespoons of ice-cold water, processing until the pastry begins to just come together. Don’t be tempted to add more water. Remove from the bowl and briefly knead until smooth. Wrap and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Thinly slice the courgettes lengthways to make long ribbons – about 3mm thick is ideal. The very inner core of the courgettes can be discarded as they can be more watery when cooked. Trim the spring onions and cut in half lengthways. Season both with salt and pepper and a slug of olive oil and arrange in an even layer on the baking tray. Roast for 10–12 minutes until well wizened, even browning a little in places. Remove from the oven and cool.

3. Roll the pastry out, about 3mm thick is good, and use it to line a 23cm fluted loose-bottomed tart tin. Ensure the tin has an overlap of pastry. Any excess pastry should be wrapped and stored in the fridge and can be used to patch any cracks that might appear once you have blind-baked the case.

4. Cover the pastry base with greaseproof paper and line with baking beans.

5. Bake the tart case for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans. Brush all over with the whisked egg white and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and pale golden. Remove from the oven.

6. Use a small sharp knife to neatly trim the pastry flush to the sides of the tart tin.

7. Arrange the roasted courgettes and spring onions in the base of the tart case. Break up the goat’s cheese into small chunks (I like to include the skin but remove it if you prefer) and dot the cheese around the vegetables, then sprinkle over the thyme leaves.

8. In a large jug, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, egg yolk and mustard and season well with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

9. Place the tart on a tray directly in the oven and carefully pour the cream mix into the tart case. This will help to avoid any spills that can occur when moving the tart to the oven.

10. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake the tart in the oven for around 30–35 minutes, until the filling is just set and the sides are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. You can also serve the tart cold.