Rustic summer vegetable tart

A savory pie with tomato, onion and zucchini!

My husband – who gets to do an awful lot of taste testing – says this is one of the most delicious things I’ve prepared this summer. I love rustic-style savoury tarts (see my peach, ricotta and arugula version and my squash, feta and cranberry one); you’ll also find rustic sweet tarts on this site. Sometimes called galettes, rustic tarts or pies are super easy to make thanks to a not-at-all-fussy butter pastry which is very easy to work with. This is also a very flexible recipe – I used 3 different coloured heirloom tomatoes but you can use whatever’s on hand, including cherry, cocktail, plum, beefsteak, etc. You can omit the zucchini if you like, or replace with sliced peppers. If you’re fortunate enough to have leftovers, this tart is also delicious served cold (or reheated in an oven) with poached eggs on top.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ) 2.5 mL kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) very cold butter
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vinegar
• 1 egg yolk (save white to brush pastry)
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced 1/4” (6 mm) thick
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4” (6 mm) thick
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced red onion
• 2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup (250 mL) crumbled goat cheese (or feta)
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) chopped fresh herbs (I used thyme and parsley), divided

Method

• Make the pie crust at least 90 minutes before you want to bake the tart. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Grate the very cold butter into the flour mixture and toss with your fingers, crushing any clumps of butter into the flour. Stir the egg yolk, cold water and vinegar together, then drizzle over the flour mixture and stir with a fork. If large dry patches remain, add a bit more water, a teaspoon (5 mL) at a time, taking care to only add just enough to make a rough dough. Gently fold the dough in the bowl with your hands to work it into a barely-moist, shaggy ball of dough.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and gently shape it into a disk about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Cover tightly with beeswax or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours before assembling tart.
• When ready to assemble tart, place the tomato and zucchini slices on platters or baking trays in a single layer and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 – 15 minutes to release moisture, then pat slices dry with paper towel and set on a clean plate. Prepare onions, garlic and herbs and set aside.
• Roll out the disk of chilled dough between two large sheets of parchment paper with a rolling pin, to form a crust that is about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick and about 12 to 14 inches (30 – 35 cm) in diameter. If the dough is sticking to the parchment, dust lightly with flour. Transfer the crust, still on the bottom piece of parchment paper, to a large baking sheet (a pizza pan is good for this).
• Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, beat the reserved egg white with a teaspoon (5 mL) of cold water to form an egg wash and set aside.
• To assemble tart, brush the pie crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the goat cheese, leaving a 2 inch empty border around the outside. Arrange tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the chopped herbs overtop in tidy layers (you should have about 3 layers each of tomatoes and zucchini, with onion, garlic and herbs in between). Sprinkle the top of the vegetables with the remaining goat cheese then fold the border of the crust up and over the vegetables, pleating every few inches to help it stay flat.
• Brush the folded border with egg wash. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating once during baking, until golden and bubbling. Let cool for a few minutes then sprinkle with fresh herbs, cut into wedges and serve warm.
• Tart can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 4 hours before baking. Cooked tart can sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4 as a main course; 8 as an appetizer.