I love tarts! Sweet or savoury, both are always met with anticipation. Feel free to experiment with the fillings. When baking blind, ensure the pastry is a light golden colour for crisp, flaky bases. I used 5 x 12 cm round pie tins and 3 x 11 cm square tins for the tarts.
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
225 grams butter, diced and chilled
2¼ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
4-6 tablespoons iced water
Filling
500 grams crown pumpkin, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
50 grams butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
2 onions, sliced
2 red capsicums, thinly sliced
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
pinch each ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
Pastry: Place the butter, flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add iced water, as needed, until the pastry just starts to stick together.
Place on a lightly floured bench and gently bring together. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured bench until ¼ cm thick. Line the tins and prick the bases with a fork. Place on a baking tray and bake blind for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and baking blind beans.
Reduce the oven temperature to 165˚C.
Place the tart cases back in the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the bases are lightly golden. Set aside.
Filling: Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and roast until just tender. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and add the garlic, rosemary, onions and capsicums and season with salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelised. Cool.
To cook: Divide the cheese, onion mixture and pumpkin evenly between the tart cases.
Whisk the milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, nutmeg and cayenne in a large measuring jug and season generously. Pour over the vegetables and bake for 35 minutes or until the custard is set and the tarts are puffed and golden. Makes 8 tarts
Square and round tart tins can be purchased from Milly’s Kitchen shop.
The tarts can be topped with roasted vine tomatoes and a few baby spinach leaves to serve.
To bake blind: line a prepared pastry case with baking paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. The beans support the pastry as it cooks. Bake in a preheated 190˚C - 200˚C oven for up to 20 minutes before removing the paper and weights. The shell should now have taken form. Return to the oven for the time specified in the recipe.
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latest issue:
Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!