One week this past summer I was overwhelmed with what to bring to the two back to back potlucks that I wanted to attend. I was drowning in summer squash and wanted to think of some way to use these plentiful farm plucked vegetables. Plus, I wanted to plan ahead, so that I could just bake it off, then take it to the potluck, which were both at lunchtime. I made the great decision this summer, in a fit of grad school stress, to purchase the cookbook, La Tartine Gourmande written by the fabulous Béatrice Peltre.
Easy enough to prepare ahead of time, this tart bakes off in 40 minutes and is a real hit at potlucks. It went so fast at the first potluck, that i barely got some crust. Light, creamy, and filled with summery goodness within each morsel that i shoveled into my face.
It wasn’t all delightful bites of tart and satisfied taste buds though. There was a causality in the creation of this beautiful work of tart. While zoning out whilst using the mandoline (I was watching a rather exciting episode of Vampire Diaries), I managed to slice the tip of my right middle finger clear off. Needless to say, gushing blood and dramatic screams ensued. I pulled myself together, slapped a band-aid on my wound and finished off a dish that I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into (but i threw those parts away, no worries). To avoid this malady, I suggest holding off on watching your favorite show while slicing your veggies and using your mandoline.
Recipes
My Go-to Tart Crust
adapted from Mollie Katzen’s tart recipe in Enchanted broccoli forest
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons of water, milk, or buttermilk (i used milk)
6 Tablespoons butter
Step 1: Use a pastry cutter or a food processor to blend butter and flours until the mixture is uniform and resembling coarse cornmeal
Step 2: Add the liquid (water, milk, or buttermilk) until the dough comes together
Step 3: Roll out immediately, or refrigerate (I chill the dough for 30 min-overnight depending on my time constraints)
This recipe once rolled out creates a lovely crust for a 9-10 inch tart or pie.
Summer Tart Recipe
adapated from Beatrice Peltre’s La Tartine Gourmande
1 tart crust
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 tablespoon marjoram or oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Zest of 1/2 of an organic lime
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus some extra for drizzling
salt and pepper to your taste
1 small green zucchini sliced thinly with mandoline or by hand
1 small yellow squash sliced thinly with mandoline or by hand
3 oz Swiss cheese sliced thinly
1 tablespoon honey
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Step 2: Add herbs (marjoram/oregano and parsley) and lime zest to the ricotta cheese. Stir in the olive oil and add salt and pepper.
Step 3: Spread ricotta mixture onto unbaked tart crust then arrange the zucchini and yellow squash in concentric circles or any pretty design you desire
Step 4: Add the slices of swiss cheese in between the squash slices, evenly throughout the crust
Step 5: Drizzle with extra olive oil and honey
Step 6: Bake for 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly . Let rest for 5 minutes before you cut the tart
Step 7: Enjoy it.
*To maximize flavor, make in the height of summer squash season with your local farmer’s market or garden is overflowing with squash.
Creations by Katie O 