Zucchini And Egg Tart With Fresh Herbs Food

ZUCCHINI AND EGG TART WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Beat one egg in a small bowl for egg wash.
• On an inverted baking sheet, unfold the puff pastry to lay it out flat. Cut the puff pastry into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, rolling out and trimming excess as needed. Slice a 3/4-inch strip from the perimeter of the puff pastry from each of the four sides. Brush the remaining puff pastry with the egg wash then prick every few inches of the surface with a fork to prevent puffing. Place the pastry strips along the edge of all four sides to form a border that is raised like the edges of a picture frame, gently pressing to seal. Trim the excess and brush border with egg wash.
• On a second baking sheet, gently toss the zucchini and scallions with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven (the sheet holding the puff pastry should still be inverted) and bake until vegetables are softened and pastry is puffed and golden, removing the vegetables after 10 minutes and the puff pastry after 20 to 25 minutes. Press the pastry's puffed center gently with your fingertips to deflate.
• Stir the crème fraîche, mustard and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Working within the border, brush the mixture over the pastry. Halve the zucchini crosswise at an angle. Arrange the zucchini and scallions on the surface of the pastry, draping the zucchini on its side and reinforcing with the scallions to create four circular nests to hold the eggs.
• Crack each of the remaining four eggs into a small cup then transfer to a nest in the puff pastry. In a small bowl, toss the peas with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Avoiding the eggs, sprinkle the tart with the peas. Bake until the egg whites are opaque and custardy and yolks are still runny, about 20 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and top with torn fresh herbs. Cut the tart into quarters and serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse 12 to 14 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the processor running, pour the vinegar and ice water through the feed tube and continue to process and pulse until the dough just comes together. Dump out on a floured board, form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander set over a plate. Toss it with 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Spread the zucchini out on a clean dish towel, roll it up, and squeeze gently to remove some of the liquid. Put the zucchini slices into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With a fork, mash together the goat cheese, thyme, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured board to an 11-inch circle and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lay the zucchini slices in tightly overlapping circles, starting at the very edge of the pastry (the zucchini will shrink when it bakes). Continue overlapping circles of zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Cut in wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO TARTLETS WITH A CHEDDAR CRUST

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flours and salt. Pulse in butter and Cheddar until mixture resembles chickpeas. Drizzle in whisked egg and ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 6 tablespoons, pulsing occasionally until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• While dough chills, prepare the filling. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini and tomatoes with rosemary, salt, red pepper and olive oil; spread mixture out into one layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Stir honey and vinegar into the hot vegetables, then let cool completely.
• Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or use a nonstick muffin pan. Roll out dough to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle, trimming any rough edges. Cut into a dozen 4-by-4-inch pieces and gently press each piece into the holes of the muffin tin, leaving the 4 corners hanging over the edges. Chill dough for at least another 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, egg, chives and garlic. Season with a large pinch each of salt and black pepper.
• Divide ricotta mixture into the bottom of each tart, using about 1 tablespoon each. Top with the roasted vegetables. Fold edges of crust over filling. Brush tops of tarts with cream or milk and sprinkle with cheese. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Drizzle tarts with a little honey (about 1/2 teaspoon per tartlet) if you like. Cool slightly before serving.

ZUCCHINI WITH SUMMER HERBS

Steps:

• Rinse the zucchini and pat dry. Trim off ends and slice zucchini into 1/8 inch thick slices without peeling. There will be about 6 cups.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium high to high heat. Cook zucchini while shaking and stirring the skillet. Turn the zucchini occasionally with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain in a sieve.
• Add butter to the skillet until melted. Return zucchini. Sprinkle with garlic and herbs. Check for salt. Toss and serve.

ZUCCHINI TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and place an inverted baking sheet on the middle rack. Brush a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with butter.
• Brush 1 phyllo sheet with butter, and fit into baking sheet, leaving a 1-inch overhang. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap as you work.) Top with a second phyllo sheet in a slightly different position, and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and butter, creating a crust with a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Fold edges under to double the thickness. (Don't worry if some pieces crack along the edge.)
• Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, cheese, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Crumple 6 layers of foil into a rectangle the size of the tart, and fit into crust. Bake crust, set on inverted sheet, until edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until surface is golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer crust to a wire rack, leaving inverted sheet in oven.
• Immediately pour custard carefully into crust (do not overfill). Arrange zucchini over top, slightly overlapping. Bake on inverted sheet until custard is set in center, 20 to 22 minutes. Immediately slide tart onto wire rack, lifting from 1 end using a large, wide spatula. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

ZUCCHINI TART WITH GRUYERE CHEESE AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
• TO MAKE CRUST:.
• Unfold crescent dough from the tube and press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of tart pan to form a crust, pressing gently to seal any perforations; spread crust with pesto. (NOTE: If you will be using a shortcrust pastry recipe instead of the crescent roll dough, you will need to blind-bake it before adding the filling).
• TO MAKE FILLING:.
• In a large skillet, saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic in the olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and the herbes de Provence, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool slightly before stirring in the beaten eggs and cheese.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the filling into the prepared tart shell and spread evenly; sprinkle the top with a little extra grated cheese. I transfer the tart to a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake at 400 F until set and crust is golden, about 16 to 19 minutes.
• Remove to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before removing sides of pan.
• TIP: For ease of removal, place the tart on a large can, then carefully pull the sides of the pan down around it (you may need to run a knife around sides of crust to loosen).
• Slide tart off the bottom portion of the pan onto a rimless serving dish or cutting board (or leave it on the base to serve). Let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Good served warm, cold or at room temperature.