Thursday, March 15, 2012

roasted squash tart

I actually decided to make this because I had some smoked cheddar in my fridge. I had made a variation of this tart a few years ago but recently got the Rebar Cookbook off the shelf to make peanut sauce and wound up reading through a few pages and found the recipe for this tart. So I picked up a butternut squash and when dinner plans with family fell through, made this for supper the other night. It sort of made up for not going out.

I started off with my tried and true tart dough recipe, from David Lebovitz. I roasted some sliced squash, sliced apples green and red (not in the original recipe but for some reason I thought they were so I added them anyway), sauted some shallot with sage and grated some of the smoked cheddar. It all added up to a delicious dinner and has meant some tasty leftovers for lunch this week.

Roasted Squash Tart (adapted from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook)
1 tart shell
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 c peeled and sliced butternut squash
1 medium apple, sliced thinly (I used half green and half red)
1 medium shallot, diced
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp sage
1 c grated smoked cheddar
2 large eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream
salt and pepper

Tart Dough (from David Lebovitz)
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, diced
1 large egg
2-4 tbsp cold water

In a foil lined roasting pan, toss the squash with a sprinkle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 deg F for about 10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, saute the shallot in the butter until translucent, add the sage and cook until very fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Make the tart dough by whizzing the flour and salt in a food processor until mixed. Add in the diced butter and pulse until the butter is distributed through the flour but still in small pieces. Mix the egg with 2 tbsp of cold water and pulse into the dough. Add more water and pulse until the dough barely comes together. Dump the dough onto a floured board and roll out until the diameter is enough to fill a tart pan (I use one with a removable bottom). Ease the dough around and into the pan, pressing slightly into the edges. Roll off the excess dough. Dimple the dough in the bottom of the pan with your fingertips and then spread the dijon mustard in an even layer across the tart bottom.

Add the grated cheese evenly across the bottom of the tart. Layer the apple slices over top. Sprinkle the sauted shallot mixture over the apples as evenly as possible. Layer the squash slices in a single layer over the top. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together and pour over the tart.



Bake for about 40 minutes at 400 deg F or until the tart is slightly brown and the middle is firm. Let cool for a few minutes to set.

1 comment:

tori said...

I love sneaking apple into savoury tarts- it just adds a little bit of sweetness- there's a nice recipe in Clotilde's 'Chocolate and Zucchinni' book for a tart with broccoli and apple that is very nice as well....