Goat Cheese Red Pepper Tart

Because tarts aren't just for desserts! I love savory tarts, are perfect as a side dish or a simple dinner. The red pepper colour looks gorgeous, don't you think so? I'm also a big fan of goat cheese, but I know that half of the world hates it (I really can't understand!) but if you are one of those please try with ricotta, or any other soft and light cheese at your taste, if you don't like cheese at all, you have no idea what are you missing!
I addapted the recipe from here.

Goat Cheese Red Pepper Tart

makes a 20 cm pan
For the crust: 
150g plain flour
50g cornmeal flour
100g cold unsalted butter
1 pinch of salt
1 large egg

Mix the flours and the salt in a large bowl, add the butter and mix it using your fingers. You can also use a food processor but you can easly do it by hand. Beat the egg a separate bowl and fold it in the mixture kneading well. Finally add the lemon juice and if the dough is still too dry you can add some cold water.  Shape the sough into a ball and wrap it with film and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the filling:
250 g goat cheese
1 large egg
fresh thyme
a handful of fresh basil
2 large red sweet peppers
salt and pepper
honey

Preheat the oven to 180º
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Using a rolling pin roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and cover the a removable bottom baking pan and press into the bottoms and sides. Prick bottom with a fork,

Mix the goatcheese, the egg and the fresh thyme in a bowl until smooth. Spread evenly at the bottom of the tart. Cover with a a single layer of fresh basil leaves over the goat cheese. Top with the peppers over the basil leaves. Finally drizzle with the honey all  over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, until the crust is slighlty golden and the peppers are done. Remove from the oven and let it set and cool for few minutes before serving. 

For more savory tarts check the pear and blue cheese tartlets, or a salmon and spinach quiche, or the goat cheese and caramelized tart,

Hope you enjoy it!

Treacle Tart

Last weekend was my birthday (I was born on a 29th February) and I have to confess that I still did not have a proper cake but I spent the weekend in London! Oh my favourite city in Europe! I will never get tired to visit it, I love it! There is somthing new to discover or even in London, but I went bacl to Peggy Porschen to have an afternoon tea and I had dinner in a Jamie's Italian, so as you can see it was a quite of a perfect celebration.
So today I'm here with a traditional English dessert, the treacle tart, a tart prepared with a shortcrust pastry and with a filling made of golden syrup. breadcrumbs and lemon. The golden syrup is also known as treacle. If you are a Harry Potter lover probably you remember this tart. It is normally served hot or warm with a scoop of cream, ice cream or clotted cream.

Treacle Tart

makes a 20 cm pan
Shortcurst Pastry: 
250g plain flour
115g cold unsalted butter
1 pinch of salt
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix the flour, the butter and the salt in a bowl using your fingers. You can also use a food processor but you can easly do it by hand. Best the eggs yolks in a separate bowl and fold them in the mixture kneading well. Finally add the lemon juice and if the dough is still too dry you can add some cold water.  Shape the sough into a ball and wrap it with film and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the filling:
350 g golden syrup
50 g melted butter
75 ml heavy cream
1 large egg
a pinch of salt
125 g breadcrumbs
zest of on lemon

Heat syrup in a saucepan over medium heat until loose. Remove from heat and stir in the melted butter, the bread crumbs, the cream, egg, the salt and the lemon zest. Keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 180º
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Using a rolling pin roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and cover the a removable bottom baking pan and press into the bottoms and sides. Prick bottom with a fork,

Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with dried beans, bake until crust is set, about 15 minutes.

Remove paper and beans and bake for 10 minutes more until light brown. Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake until filling is just set, about 40 minutes.

Serve them wram with some cream or a scoop of icecream. 

Hope you enjoy it!