Zucchini Tart

This Zucchini Tart is great for a main meal or as a side dish.  I first made this a year ago, as a main meal for two and it gave us 3 servings.  This year I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner, cutting it into 12 thin slices.  All but one piece disappeared so I don't know if it was enough (1 slice per person) or if I should have made two.  I usually make too much but it would have been nice for someone to have seconds if they wanted.  I also made Parmesan Artichoke hearts which also gave one serving to each person and was also gone so with all the other dishes this was probably just perfect. 

The first time I made it I used Feta, the second time I made it I used goat cheese.  Both were great.  Original recipe came from Cuisine at Home #76, pg.7.”

ZUCCHINI TART

1 ½ C. flour
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
6 T. unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3 T. shortening, cold
3 T. ice water
2 zucchini, thinly slices
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
5 baby orange or red bell peppers (1 large pepper)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
¾ C. feta cheese, crumbled
2 T. basil, julienned
1 T. EVOO

Prepare Tart dough: Pulse flour, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add butter, pulse.  Add shortening, pulse until small pea sized beads form. Add water; pulse to combine. Shape dough into a hockey puck, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes,

Using a mandolin, slice zucchini, squash, bell peppers and onions into thin slices.

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Roll dough to a thickness of ¼ inch and place in oil sprayed tart pan. Press dough into pan’s fluted edge and trim excess. Cover tart shell with foil and fill with dried beans or pie beads.

Bake until crust feels dry, about 25 minutes.; remove foil and beans and bake shell 5 more minutes. Remove shell from oven. Let tart shell cool at room temperature.

Sprinkle cheese and basil in tart shell. Arrange veggies around outside edge of tart, repeatedly overlapping two slices of each (zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, onion). Arrange a smaller circle inside the first and so on until tart if full. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until tart is golden brown around the edge, about 30 minutes. Makes 4-12 servings (depending on size of slice).

Notes: Feta and Goat cheese doesn’t melt so don’t be surprised.  You can make the tart pastry the day before and leave it wrapped in the refrigerator.  When your ready to use it, let it warm up a bit (15 minutes) before rolling it out.  Don't let it sit too long or it will be too sticky.

Variations:

• Use Goat cheese instead of Feta. 
• Try this as a sweet tart with sugar in the crust instead of the salt and pepper and fruit in the center.
• Dry basil works out fine also.  So if you don't have fresh, don't fret.