I have a soft spot for a savoury tart on a summer’s day, whether it is a deep-bellied, crisp-sided tart of quivering custard and asparagus or a more free-form arrangement made with a sheet of puff pastry, pesto and tomatoes. The version I have been making this summer is simple and blessedly straightforward to make. It is something of a hybrid, possessing both a crisp base and a soft, cheesy layer.
The crust is crunchy and light. The filling – topping might be a more accurate description – is one of shredded courgettes and spring onions, laced with melted mozzarella and fragrant with tarragon. It smells of deepest summer.
You could embellish the filling with a sprinkling of fennel seeds or some thin slices of pancetta. A little finely grated lemon zest would be delightful as would a teaspoon of bottled green peppercorns added for their warm piquancy. This tart is something to bring to the table in its entirety and slice as needed. I should add that it can be cut into small squares and offered with drinks.
The stone-fruit season is upon us. There are some decent apricots around – though, as always, the fruit can disappoint, no matter how tempting its colour. Anything that is not deeply fragrant and juicy is best baked with a dusting of sugar and a trickle of cognac or eau de vie. I took the step of grilling a batch of apricots this week, filling the hollows left by the stones with mascarpone and the first blackcurrants of the summer (though I could have used frozen). The berries burst and sent their purple juice flowing into the creamy, vanilla-scented filling – a luscious summer treat.
Courgette, mozzarella and spring onion tart
A large, crisp vegetable tart to eat warm or cool. It is large enough to feed 4 as part of a summer lunch, perhaps with a tomato salad. It is easiest to make if you use ready-rolled puff pastry, trimming it to fit the tin. Serves 4. Ready in 1 hour
puff pastry 320g
courgettes 400g
mozzarella 320g
crème fraîche 100g
tarragon leaves 2 tbsp, finely chopped
spring onions 3
parmesan 30g, grated
You will need a shallow-sided baking tin approximately 20cm x 30cm. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 8.
Line the baking tin with baking parchment. Roll the puff pastry out a couple of centimetres larger than the tin, then use it to line the tin, ushering the pastry into the corners and gently up the sides. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the pastry and cover it with a deep layer of baking beans. Rest the pastry in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Coarsely grate the courgettes, then put them in a colander over a plate or bowl. Sprinkle them lightly with salt, toss them gently so the salt can coat them fairly evenly, then leave them for 40 minutes.
Bake the pastry shell in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, lift out the parchment and baking beans, then return to the oven for 5 minutes until the surface is dry to the touch.
Wring out the grated courgettes in the palm of your hand and put them in a mixing bowl. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and add to the courgettes. Stir the crème fraîche through the mixture with a fork, then stir in the chopped tarragon leaves and a little pepper (no salt).
Finely slice the spring onions, discarding the roots and any tough, dark leaves as you go, then stir into the courgette-mozzarella mixture.
Fill the tart case with the mixture, then scatter the grated parmesan over the surface. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden.
Grilled apricots
When I find a perfectly ripe apricot, I will eat it raw, perhaps with a spoonful of chalk-white ricotta. On most occasions, the apricots I come home with fail to live up to their sunset-hued promise and end up in the oven, where a frosting of sugar and the heat of the oven works wonders.
This recipe, where the fruit is grilled to soften the flesh, then filled with blackcurrants and cream and browned under the heat, is a good use for apricots that, although ripe, don’t quite live up to expectations. Serves 4. Ready in 30 minutes
apricots 8, ripe
crème fraîche 200g
mascarpone 100g
vanilla extract a few drops
blackcurrants 150g, fresh or frozen
icing sugar 2 tbsp
Get an overhead (oven) grill hot. Slice the apricots in half and remove their stones. Place them cut-side up on a grill pan or baking tray. Slide the apricots under the hot grill and leave for about 5-7 minutes, until the fruit is starting to soften.
Put the crème fraîche and mascarpone in a mixing bowl and add a couple of drops of vanilla extract. Stir, but do this only enough to mix the two ingredients together, without over-mixing.
Pull the blackcurrants from their stems. Put 1 heaped tbsp of the crème fraîche mixture into the hollows of the apricots. Scatter the blackcurrants over and dust generously with icing sugar.
Return the apricots to the grill and let the filling melt and start to bubble. The fruit should be soft, but not so soft that it collapses. Lift the fruit on to small dishes, about 4 halves for each person.
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