This zucchini & thyme tart is simple and elegant, and tastes just as good at room temp, so you can make it ahead, or even bring it to a potluck to one up the standard pasta salads.
I made the crust from scratch using the Flaky Pie Crust recipe by Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything, which is quickly becoming one of my most trusted resources; I made the filling by mandolin slicing zucchini which I then quickly sauteed with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and dried herbs, and layering it with finely shredded Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. The outcome was savory and delicious, not to mention beautiful. And each step of the process was pretty easy.
Zucchini & Thyme Tart
Flaky Pie Crust (from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary
Zucchini Filling:
3 medium Zucchini
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere cheese- packed very loosely
1/2 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan or Parmesan, Ramano, Asiago blend
Grape tomatoes (halved) to garnish (optional)
* this second time around I used whole grain flour, I was pleasantly surprised that the texture and flavor were still great (a little nuttier in the flavor, which worked well with the dish) a little bit more water was required to form the dough than called for with white flour.
Combine the flour salt and sugar for the crust in a food processor, and pulse twice. add the butter chopped into small pieces, pulse until blended. the mixture should look very granular, pour into a bowl and add the ice water, and use your fingers to combine until you can roll it into a ball. refrigerate and then roll out following the directions from Mark Bittman in the link above. Store the crust in the refridgerator until you are ready to bake it. It should go into the oven COLD!
Preheat the oven to 375.
Slice the zucchini into thin oblong pieces using a mandoline slicer if you have one, if not slice as thinly as you can by hand.
In a large bowl, pour half the olive oil over the zucchini, and add the salt, pepper, chopped thyme. combine in the bowl so that the zucchini are evenly coated in oil and herbs. Remove from heat just as zucchini pieces start to look a bit transparent.
Assembling the tart:
Sprinkle grated cheese sparingly onto the bottom crust layer of the tart.
Starting from the outside, lay zuchini slices overlapping in a circular pattern, until an even layer of zucchni covers the exposed flat tart bottom.
I found 3 layers of each, zuchini and cheese to work well for the size of my tart pan.
Lastly I placd some sliced grape tomatoes and fresh thyme leaves over the top for garnish.
Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until both crust and cheese is golden.
Make this dish a light summer meal by pairing it with a salad and white wine, or eat a slice as a side or appetizer.
I made the crust from scratch using the Flaky Pie Crust recipe by Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything, which is quickly becoming one of my most trusted resources; I made the filling by mandolin slicing zucchini which I then quickly sauteed with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and dried herbs, and layering it with finely shredded Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. The outcome was savory and delicious, not to mention beautiful. And each step of the process was pretty easy.
Zucchini & Thyme Tart
Flaky Pie Crust (from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary
Zucchini Filling:
3 medium Zucchini
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere cheese- packed very loosely
1/2 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan or Parmesan, Ramano, Asiago blend
Grape tomatoes (halved) to garnish (optional)
* this second time around I used whole grain flour, I was pleasantly surprised that the texture and flavor were still great (a little nuttier in the flavor, which worked well with the dish) a little bit more water was required to form the dough than called for with white flour.
Combine the flour salt and sugar for the crust in a food processor, and pulse twice. add the butter chopped into small pieces, pulse until blended. the mixture should look very granular, pour into a bowl and add the ice water, and use your fingers to combine until you can roll it into a ball. refrigerate and then roll out following the directions from Mark Bittman in the link above. Store the crust in the refridgerator until you are ready to bake it. It should go into the oven COLD!
Preheat the oven to 375.
Slice the zucchini into thin oblong pieces using a mandoline slicer if you have one, if not slice as thinly as you can by hand.
In a large bowl, pour half the olive oil over the zucchini, and add the salt, pepper, chopped thyme. combine in the bowl so that the zucchini are evenly coated in oil and herbs. Remove from heat just as zucchini pieces start to look a bit transparent.
Assembling the tart:
Sprinkle grated cheese sparingly onto the bottom crust layer of the tart.
Starting from the outside, lay zuchini slices overlapping in a circular pattern, until an even layer of zucchni covers the exposed flat tart bottom.
Sprinkle cheese mixture over the layer evenly. Then repeat with a new layer of zucchini, followed by a cheese layer.
I found 3 layers of each, zuchini and cheese to work well for the size of my tart pan.
Lastly I placd some sliced grape tomatoes and fresh thyme leaves over the top for garnish.
Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until both crust and cheese is golden.
Make this dish a light summer meal by pairing it with a salad and white wine, or eat a slice as a side or appetizer.
No comments:
Post a Comment