Tarte aux légumes du soleil – tart with roasted summer vegetables Recipe
This colorful tart with courgette, bell pepper, and aubergine on a shortcrust base smells like summer in the south of France. The French often serve such tarts cold as part of a buffet at family gatherings or take them on picnics. It’s something between a pizza and a vegetable gratin, just in a more elegant form.
Na południu Francji tego typu tarty z warzywami słońca pojawiają się na stołach tak samo często jak quiche lorraine na północy. To sposób na wykorzystanie obfitości letnich warzyw – często piecze się je raz, a potem podaje na ciepło na obiad i na zimno na kolację lub piknik.
Roasting the vegetables before baking concentrates their flavor and keeps the tart from becoming soggy, giving you a dish that’s both colorful and full of summer aromas.
Dlaczego ta wersja działa
- Wstępne pieczenie warzyw z ziołami wydobywa smak i pozwala im odparować, więc nadzienie nie rozwadnia kruchego spodu.
- Podpiekanie spodu z obciążeniem zapobiega wybrzuszaniu i gwarantuje, że ciasto będzie wypieczone i chrupiące.
- Prosta masa jajeczno‑śmietanowa ze startym serem dobrze się ścina, dzięki czemu tarta łatwo się kroi i nie rozpada.
- Zimne masło i krótkie zagniatanie dają kruchy, delikatny spód bez efektu „twardego herbatnika”.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip chilling the dough – it helps keep the crust short and crumbly and prevents it from shrinking too much in the oven. If the edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil while baking.
How to serve
Serve cut into wedges with a simple green salad, or slice into small squares as finger food for a party buffet.
Na co uważać
- Nie pomijaj wstępnego pieczenia spodu – surowe ciasto pod masą jajeczną łatwo rozmoknie i zostanie niedopieczone.
- Upewnij się, że po pieczeniu na blasze nie ma dużo soku z warzyw; w razie potrzeby odlej go lub lekko osusz warzywa.
- Nie przelewaj formy – masa powinna sięgać kilka milimetrów poniżej rantu ciasta, inaczej może się wylewać w piekarniku.
Zamienniki
- Bakłażana możesz zastąpić cienko pokrojonym fenkułem lub dodatkową cukinią, jeśli nie lubisz jego wyrazistego smaku.
- Żółty ser zamień na mieszankę tartego gruyère i parmezanu, by uzyskać bardziej francuski, intensywny smak.
- Zioła prowansalskie możesz zastąpić mieszanką suszonego tymianku, oregano i rozmarynu w podobnych proporcjach.
Ingredients
- wheat flour for the dough - 220 g
- butter cold, for the dough - 120 g
- water very cold, for the dough - 3 tablespoon
- courgette medium, sliced - 1 piece
- aubergine sliced - 1 piece
- red bell pepper cut into strips - 1 piece
- onion sliced into thin wedges - 1 piece
- yellow cheese grated, e.g. Gruyère or another good melting cheese - 80 g
- egg for the filling - 2 piece
- 30% cream for the filling - 150 ml
- olive oil for the vegetables - 3 tablespoon
- Herbes de Provence dried - 1 teaspoon
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Prepare the dough: put the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the cold butter cut into cubes, and rub it in with your fingers or cut in with a knife until you get fine crumbs resembling wet sand.
- Add the very cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and quickly bring the dough together just until combined. Form into a flattened disc, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: slice the courgette and aubergine into rounds about 0.5 cm thick, cut the pepper into strips, and the onion into thin wedges.
- Place the vegetables on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper, and toss with your hands so all pieces are coated in oil.
- Roast the vegetables in an oven preheated to 200°C for 15–20 minutes until they soften slightly and start to brown at the edges, then remove and set aside.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle larger than your tart tin (about 26 cm), transfer it to the tin, pressing up the sides, and trim any excess dough.
- Prick the base with a fork in several places, cover with baking paper, and fill with dried beans or rice as weights. Blind-bake for 12 minutes at 190°C, then remove the paper and weights and bake for another 5 minutes until the base is lightly golden.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, add the grated cheese, a pinch of salt, and pepper, and mix until smooth.
- Spread the roasted vegetables evenly over the pre-baked tart base; you can arrange them decoratively in circles or simply scatter them loosely.
- Pour the egg-and-cream mixture over the vegetables and gently shake the tin so the mixture seeps between the pieces of vegetables.
- Bake the tart for 20–25 minutes at 190°C until the filling is set and the top is lightly golden; after removing from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes to make slicing easier.
Storage
Store leftover tart, well wrapped or in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in the oven or eat at room temperature.
This tart is my favorite way to use up a glut of summer vegetables – it looks impressive, but most of the work happens in the oven.
