The texture of the filling is like velvet. The pastry crust is crisp and the flavours are to die for. Sweet tomatoes, the umami of melted anchovies, the perfume of marjoram and the richness of melted goats cheese. This all adds up to a tart to cut up and please a crowd. Great for a light supper or cut into slices to pair with a glass of wine. I am a big fan of Claudia Roden’s ‘tarte pissaladière’ and this tart is a rival. The original recipe is by Gill Meller but I have altered the ingredients slightly to suit how I cook.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
200g plain white flour. I used 50% spelt and 50% wheat flour
100g unsalted butter, chilled
½ tsp fine sea salt
60 ml (4 tbsp) chilled water
For the filling
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
pinch of chilli flakes
2 bay leaves
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
30g Cheddar cheese, grated
50ml double cream
2 medium free range eggs, whisked
Small bunch fresh marjoram, chopped
100g goat’s cheese sliced
6 anchovy fillets, drained of oil (but reserve the oil for cooking)
Method
To make the pastry
Pulse the flour butter and salt in a food processor to form a breadcrumb like consistency. Gradually add the water while the motor of the processor is running stopping as soon as the mixture comes together as a dough. Roll the pastry into a rectangle to fit your baking tin and place in the fridge. The baking tin I used measured 36cm x 13cm.
To make the filling
Sweat the chopped onion, garlic, chilli and bay leaves in a little olive oil, in a heavy pan until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook gently until the mixture is thick and ‘jammy’. Allow the mixture to cool a little.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
While the tomato filling is cooling. Prick the base of the pastry tart with a fork, line it with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until the pastry is just golden. Set aside for the moment.
Add the cream, eggs, and grated Cheddar cheese to the tomato sauce together with half of the chopped marjoram. Stir well and pour into the baked flan case.
Arrange the goat’s cheese slices on the top and scatter over the anchovies and remaining marjoram. Bake the tart for a further 30- 40 minutes. Allow to cool a little before serving perhaps with a lightly dressed green salad.
