Veggie Tart
Ingredients:
Rough puff pastry (OR you can use 375g Ready-made puff pastry)
100g grated frozen salted butter
200g grated frozen salted butter
350g plain flour
Pinch of salt
Freezing cold water – 8-12 tbsp depending to combine dough
½ tsp of lemon juice
Vegetable Topping
4 baby beetroot -could be any colour (scrubbed and trimmed)
1 onion finely diced
1 large leek finely sliced
1 tub of cream cheese (180g)
Approx. 200g purple sprouting broccoli
Salt and pepper
150g Goat’s cheese/ Blue vein cheese/ Young Buck cheese (Indie Fude)
1 egg beaten for glazing
Water
Oil
Chives for garnishing
Method:
1. Preheat oven 180C.
2. Place the baby beetroot on a roasting pan with oil and salt and pepper and roast for approx. 20min – then peel and cut into sixths.
3. Place water in the steamer pot and bring to a boil, place the broccoli in and steam for 3-5 min, take out immediately and leave to cool on a plate on top of kitchen roll.
Make the puff pastry
4. Place 350g of the plain flour into the food processor, then add 100g of grated frozen butter on top, pulse till fine breadcrumbs.
5. Add the lemon juice and pulse.
6. Then add 1 tbsp of cold water at a time till the dough comes together.
7. Tip out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball and then roll out into a long rectangle.
8. Place 100g of the frozen grated butter on 2/3 of the dough rectangle, fold over the 1/3 of non-butter covered dough towards the middle of the rectangle then fold the other 1/3 on top of that fold (that is the first fold).
9. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, using the rolling pin flatten out and roll out to a long rectangle, repeat step 10 again (this is your 2nd fold).
10. Repeat the 90 degrees rotation and thirds folding for a further 3 times.
11. Once complete put the dough which is now a thick smaller rectangle into the fridge covered with clingfilm, let it rest for at least 20 min.
12. In a frying pan add a little bit of oil and fry off the onions and leeks, add about 1 tbsp of water if they are burning or going too brown and cook till softened.
13. Then add in the cream cheese, add a pinch of salt and pepper.
14. Once the pastry has rested– bring out and put between 2 pieces of baking parchment. Roll out nice and thin to approx. 3mm x 40cm x 25cm. Put on a large baking tray and keep the piece of baking parchment on the underside of the pastry.
15. Using a sharp vegetable knife score a 1cm margin within the outer edge of the rolled-out pastry (be careful not to cut all the way through the pastry).
16. Take the beetroot out of oven and peel and cut into sixths.
17. Spread the creamy leek and onion sauce over the rolled-out pastry, arrange the beetroot and broccoli over the creamy base. Then crumble the yummy goat’s cheese over the top.
18. Brush the exposed margin of pastry around the tart with beaten egg.
19. Bake in the oven for approx. 25-30 min till the tart is golden and puffed.
20. Take out and garnish with chives, it is ready to eat with a lovely fresh side salad or just as it is.
