This tart is very easy to prepare - using a premade puff pastry. I always use DuFour Classic Puff Pastry. It's not at all easy to prepare if you choose to make the puff pastry from scratch!
The bulk of your time is spent in prep-ing the ingredients - then you just assemble the tart and bake it.
I typically serve it at room temperature, with a green salad and a nicely chilled white or rose wine.
Tarte Niçoise (aka Summer Tart)
I'm calling it a Tarte Niçoise because it sort of has all the flavor elements and colors of a Niçoise salad.
TARTE NICOISE
INGREDIENTS
1 package DuFour puff pastry
1/2 pound Kessari (a Greek sheep's milk cheese)
Basil pesto
1 medium sized summer squash (the yellow one)
12 - kalamata olives (pitted)
15 cherry tomatoes
3 anchovy filets
1 large shallot
1 egg
Optional
Grated parmesan cheese = 3 tablespoons
Fresh basil leaves - 6 - 8
PREPARATION
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Starting with the pastry fully defrosted (follow instructions on the box) - sprinkle some flour on your countertop and rollout the pastry so that it is about 14 x 19 inches (essentially one inch larger on each side than the half sheet pan in which you are going to bake it).
Cover the baking pan with parchment paper and transfer the flattened pastry to the baking pan.
Roll the pastry edges in, creating a rim for the tart.
Prick the pastry all over using a kitchen fork - so as to avoid bubbles when the tart bakes.
Shred the cheese and sprinkle it over the entire tart (avoiding the rim).
Put some random dollops of the pesto on the cheese (don't completely cover the cheese - that's too much pesto).
Thinly slice the squash creating "coins" - and place them over the top of the cheese and pesto.
Remove the pits from the olives and split them in half and randomly distribute them over the top of the tart.
Halve the tomatoes and randomly distribute them over the top of the tart. (cut-side up)
Chop the anchovies and then press them into a paste and place them in a small bowl.
Thinly slice the shallot (don't chop it or dice it) and add it to the bowl of anchovy paste. Toss to coat the shallot in anchovy paste and to separate the shallot rings (the best "tool" for this operation is your hand). Once the shallot and anchovy are nicely melded together. Sprinkle the shallot mixture all over the tart.
Whisk the egg and using a pastry brush "paint" the tart rim with the egg.
- Optional: Sprinkle the parmesan on the tart's rim.
Bake for 30 minutes (rotating once after 15 minutes).
- Optional: Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle over the top of the completely baked tart.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
INGREDIENTS
1 package DuFour puff pastry
1/2 pound Kessari (a Greek sheep's milk cheese)
Basil pesto
1 medium sized summer squash (the yellow one)
12 - kalamata olives (pitted)
15 cherry tomatoes
3 anchovy filets
1 large shallot
1 egg
Optional
Grated parmesan cheese = 3 tablespoons
Fresh basil leaves - 6 - 8
PREPARATION
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Starting with the pastry fully defrosted (follow instructions on the box) - sprinkle some flour on your countertop and rollout the pastry so that it is about 14 x 19 inches (essentially one inch larger on each side than the half sheet pan in which you are going to bake it).
Cover the baking pan with parchment paper and transfer the flattened pastry to the baking pan.
Roll the pastry edges in, creating a rim for the tart.
Prick the pastry all over using a kitchen fork - so as to avoid bubbles when the tart bakes.
Shred the cheese and sprinkle it over the entire tart (avoiding the rim).
Put some random dollops of the pesto on the cheese (don't completely cover the cheese - that's too much pesto).
Thinly slice the squash creating "coins" - and place them over the top of the cheese and pesto.
Remove the pits from the olives and split them in half and randomly distribute them over the top of the tart.
Halve the tomatoes and randomly distribute them over the top of the tart. (cut-side up)
Chop the anchovies and then press them into a paste and place them in a small bowl.
Thinly slice the shallot (don't chop it or dice it) and add it to the bowl of anchovy paste. Toss to coat the shallot in anchovy paste and to separate the shallot rings (the best "tool" for this operation is your hand). Once the shallot and anchovy are nicely melded together. Sprinkle the shallot mixture all over the tart.
Whisk the egg and using a pastry brush "paint" the tart rim with the egg.
- Optional: Sprinkle the parmesan on the tart's rim.
Bake for 30 minutes (rotating once after 15 minutes).
- Optional: Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle over the top of the completely baked tart.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
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