Colorful Fresh Vegetable Tart (Printable)
Vibrant tart with fresh veggies in flaky pastry, perfect for light meals or gatherings.
# Ingredient List:
→ Pastry
01 - 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (approximately 8.8 oz)
02 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash, optional)
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
04 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
07 - 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 3.5 oz baby spinach leaves
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - ½ teaspoon salt
12 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
→ Filling
13 - 5.3 oz crème fraîche or sour cream
14 - 3.5 oz grated Gruyère or cheddar cheese
15 - 2 large eggs
16 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
17 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
18 - Salt and black pepper to taste
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 9-inch tart pan with pastry, trimming excess. Prick base with fork and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini and diced bell peppers; sauté for 5 minutes until just softened. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together crème fraîche, eggs, grated cheese, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth.
04 - Remove pastry shell from refrigerator. Evenly spread cheese filling over the base. Arrange sautéed vegetables evenly atop the filling, then place cherry tomato halves with cut side up over the vegetables.
05 - Optionally brush exposed pastry edges with beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until filling is set and pastry is golden brown.
06 - Allow tart to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It looks like restaurant food but takes just over an hour from start to table.
- The creamy custard filling gets so silky and golden that even confirmed vegetable skeptics ask for seconds.
- You can throw in whatever vegetables are calling to you that day, so it never feels stale.
02 -
- Don't skip the initial chill on the pastry shell; it prevents shrinkage and keeps the tart looking polished.
- Make sure your vegetables are cooked but not mushy before they go into the tart, because they'll cook a bit more in the oven.
- The filling should look barely set when you take it out of the oven, with just the slightest wobble in the middle; it keeps cooking as it cools and will be perfectly creamy.
03 -
- Grate your cheese fresh if you can, it melts and incorporates into the custard so much more smoothly than pre-shredded.
- If your pastry tin is on the darker side, your crust might brown faster; start checking at 30 minutes and tent it loosely with foil if the edges are getting too dark.