Autumn Vegetable Tart
Makes one 9x12 tart or two 6 inch round tarts.
Tart Shell
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cup ice water
Filling
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small bell pepper, any color, cored, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion cut into 1/4 wedges
1 cup brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 cup winter squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup kale or mustard greens, washed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh sage, julienned
2 ounces fontina, Tomme de Savoie or any other good melting cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make tart shell:
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse 5 times in 1-second bursts. Add ice water and pulse until dough comes together. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic and chill for about 30 minutes, until firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll out dough to desired shape, keeping an additional ½ inch to reinforce the edges and about ¼ inch thick. Ease pastry to a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Line tart shell with parchment and pie weights* and bake in center of the oven for 35 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until light golden. Let cool. *If you do not have pie weights, dried beans work perfectly. Use about two cups or more of beans, enough to keep the dough from rising in the oven. You can reuse the beans for baking but do not cook with them, they will not taste very good!
While tart cools, prepare filling:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with oil. In a bowl tosss the pepper and onion with ½ tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and arrange on one quarter of the baking sheet. Repeat with the sprouts and winter squash using ½ tablespoon oil for each.
Roast vegetables for about 45 minutes, turning once, until tender. Let cool slightly, then return them to the bowl. Add the vinegar, herbs and remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of oil and toss; season with salt and pepper.
Scrape the roasted vegetables into the tart shell, tuck in the cheese slices, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle raw kale on top and serve.
Pair with a light to medium earthy red wine with red berry fruit and bright acidity, such as one of our local North Fork favorites, 2008 Macari Vineyards Cabernet Franc.
