For many of us, August is the time that a lot of our vegetable/herb gardens are abundant with their bounty. For instance, tomatoes, zucchini and basil are three popular homegrown favorites and this tart recipe takes full advantage of their product. No soggy summer tart here!
Frozen puff pastry makes this elegant and impressive savory tart easy to pull together. Za’atar, a Middle Eastern herb, seed and spice blend, is used to add a perfect flavor accent to the sweet, summery tomatoes and zucchini. To keep these high-moisture vegetables from releasing water during cooking—and leaving the pastry soggy—salt the slices for 20 minutes or so to draw out excess juices while the oven heats.
The bonus is vegetables with more concentrated flavor that are nicely seasoned. As for the puff pastry, Dufour is preferred because it is made with butter and is of a size that needs only minimal rolling after the sheet is unfolded. Pepperidge Farm puff pastry works, too, though it lacks buttery richness. You will need only one sheet from the 17.3-ounce box (which contains two sheets), and it will need to be rolled out into a rectangle roughly 10 by 14 inches. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature.
Now the original recipe from Milk Street indicates it feeds 6 to 8. No way José! At best you’ll get four 5″ x 7″ slices, and paired with a side salad, makes a complete meal. Yes, if you are serving it as an appetizer, you could cut the tart up into 16 pieces…
Don’t forget to leave a 1-inch border when poking holes in the rolled-out pastry. The holes help prevent too much lift in the area covered by the veggies while the border bakes up into a light, crisp crust around them.
We made one noticeable change in the process. Since we were using large tomatoes, and not plum tomatoes, we seeded them first before salting. In a large bowl, we mixed the summer squash and onion with oil and za’atar before folding in the tomatoes. This helped to prevent the tomato slices from being torn apart.
Tomato-Summer Squash Tart with Za'atar
Ingredients
- 4 ripe medium plum tomatoes, cored and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 medium (8 oz.) yellow summer squash OR zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 1 Tbsp. za’atar
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 14 oz. package Dufour frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cool, OR 1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed but still cool
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
Directions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Lay the tomato and squash slices in a single layer on the paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Flip the slices and sprinkle the second sides with another ¼ teaspoon salt. Let stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the lowest position.
- Pat the tomatoes and squash dry. In a medium bowl, toss the slices with the oil, za’atar, onion and ¼ teaspoon pepper. (You may want to fold in the tomato slices after mixing the other bowl ingredients.) Remove and discard the paper towels from the baking sheet.
- Unfold the puff pastry onto a sheet of kitchen parchment that will fit in the baking sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle, lightly dusting with flour if needed, then transfer the parchment with the pastry to the baking sheet.
- With a fork, poke holes all over the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the vegetables on the pastry, shingling the tomatoes and squash and avoiding the edges, then sprinkle with half of the feta. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using the parchment, slide the tart onto a wire rack. Top with the remaining feta and a drizzle of oil. Cool for about 30 minutes, then cut into portions.
- Optional garnish: Chopped fresh mint or basil OR flaky sea salt OR both
Original recipe by Rose Hattabaugh for Milk Street
Accounting for Taste 