Savoury Spelt pastry with a creamy, punchy filling is a winner in our books.
Spelt pastry needs be one of your new favourite pastries to make. As a whole-grain, it can sometimes be a bit tricky to work with but don't let that dissuade you from its fantastic benefits! Spelt pie flour is more crumbly than flakey but is a lot more nuanced in flavour, its brittle savouriness is perfect for the base layer of any sweet or savoury tart.
Here, the bursts of blistered tomato add a fantastic layer of tartness that cuts through the creamy mixture and pairs so fantastically well with the creamy goats cheese. Pair this meal with a glass of chilled white wine and you have a meal worthy of a Michelin star.
Ingredients
For the pastry
150g very cold Raw Cultured Butter
15g Pure Sea Salt
A couple of tablespoons of cold water
For the filling
Pinch of Pure Sea Salt
150g of grated Goats Milk Clothbound Cheese
2 Courgettes diced
1 Onion sliced
3 cloves of garlic chopped
Thyme, picked
Large handful of Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes
3 Eggs
300ml Double Cream
Method
For the pastry
Using your fingers, rub the flour, butter and salt together to form a breadcrumb consistency. Gradually combine in the water to form a firm dough. Gently pat into circle and cover in greaseproof paper. Put into the fridge for an hour.
Whilst the dough is cooling in the fridge, butter a tart case and dust it with flour.
Once the dough is fully chilled, roll out dough to half cm thick. Carefully, line the tart case and prick the base.
To bake the tart case, cover the tart case with 2 layers of clingfilm and fill with baking beans into oven at 160C for 40 minutess. Once 40 minutes are up, take the baking beans out and then egg wash the tart case. Pop the case back into the oven at 160C for another 20 minutess. The tart case should be perfectly cooked and ready for the filling.
Make sure to trim the tart case with a serrated knife so you have a neat flat edge.
For the filling
In a heavy based frying pan, saute the bacon till golden brown. To the pan, add the garlic, onion and courgette and tomatoes.
Sweat down the veggies for around 5 minutes. Put to one side to cool.
In a separate bowl, combine cream, egg, grated cheese and salt. Then fill the tart case with bacon mixture. Pour cream mix into the tart case to come under half a cm under the ring of the tart.
Put the tart back into the oven at 160C for 30 minutes. After the time is up, bring the tart out of the oven.
The way to check if the tart is done is to gently shake it. If there is still a wobble then stick it back into the oven for another 10 minutess or so. Soon you should be left with a wonderfully creamy rich tart with a gloriously short case.
Serve hot or cold, this tart is just a wonderful addition any picnic-ing adventure or suppertime.
