Tomato Zucchini Flower Tart
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
For Pastry
- 320g/11ozs plain all purpose flour (you may need a bit more)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 130g/4.6ozs cold butter, cubed
- 120ml/4flozs ice water
For Topping
- 120g/4ozs basil pesto
- 1 cup bechamel sauce*
- 60g/2ozs red onion, thinly sliced
- 100g/3.5ozs goats cheese or soft cheese
- 3 tomatoes, around 300g/10.6ozs, sliced
- 6 zucchini flower, split lengthways
- Olive oil and flaked salt and black pepper to drizzle
Bechamel sauce
- 25g/1oz. butter
- 25g/1oz. flour
- 250ml/8.8flozs milk, heated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Step 1 - Add the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse for 5 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (little lumps of butter are great and make the pastry beautifully flakey). Add the water and pulse until it starts to ball together. Then empty the mixture out on a large clean surface and knead to form a dough. If you need a drop or two of water you can add it here (don't add too much or it will be sticky).
Step 2 - Take two large sheets of parchment, flour lightly and roll out the dough to 3mm/0.12inches in thickness into a large rectangle. Spray the base and sides of a 30x20cm/12x8inch rectangular tart tin. Press the pastry into the tin making sure to get it right into the corners and trim the sides. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Then prick holes in the base, cover with foil or parchment and add baking beads or dried beans to weigh it down. Bake at 180C/350F fan forced for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beads and bake for 10 minutes uncovered until the base is cooked through.
Step 3 - While the pastry is resting make the bechamel sauce. Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt. Add the flour and cook the flour in the butter for a minute. Add the milk gradually and stir until smooth. Add salt. Thermomix bechamel recipe note: add all ingredients in the Thermomix and set to 7 minutes, 90C and speed 4.
Step 4 - Spread the pesto across the base of the cooked pastry. Then spread the béchamel over this and then scatter onion on top. Dot with small dabs of the cheese. Then add the tomato slices and zucchini flowers covering up the tart. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are getting soft and oozy.