Yesterday was baking day again. It seems to come round every couple of weeks, and sometimes more often depending on mood and necessity. Sometimes it is entirely functional, but other times one indulge in the odd experiment. Yesterday was an experimental day – although I have little doubt I was reinventing some species of wheel.
The first experiment was Flat Cheese Tart. It isn’t properly a tart, or a flan, or a pizza. I’m not giving exact quantities of ingredients as they will depend on the size you’re making but also your whim of the day; use more or less as you choose and vary the chose of additions to suit your tastes. Anyway, for me it went like this …
Flat Cheese Tart
This is what you’ll need …
A baking sheet – I used one about 30cm square with a small lip.- Baking parchment (optional)
- Pastry – I used a 500gm pack of shop bought puff pastry
- Grated Cheddar cheese
- Large handful (or two) of fresh herbs torn into large pieces – I used basil and parsley
- Onion, roughly sliced – I used two large Echalion Shallots
- Garlic, as many cloves as you like, again chopped
- 2 or 3 tomatoes, sliced – I used 2 large plum tomatoes
- Good handful of walnuts
- Large knob of butter
- A beaten egg (optional)
- Black pepper
This is what you do …
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ Gas 7.
- Line the baking sheet with the baking parchment, or if you prefer grease the baking sheet well.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown.
- Meanwhile break the walnuts into rough pieces – put them in a plastic bag and smack a couple of times with a rolling pin; aim for something the size of a juniper berry or baked bean.
- Rollout the pastry to the size of your baking sheet, and having put it on said baking sheet ensure there is a small edge raised against the lip.
- I then brushed the pastry, including the edges, with beaten egg – partly as gaze (for the edges) and partly because I happened to have a bit of spare beaten egg.
- Sprinkle the herbs evenly over the pastry, followed by the cheese.
- Then top with the tomato slices, the onion, the walnuts and a good grind of black pepper.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is risen and everything is beginning to brown.
- Serve hot, warm or cold, with a glass or two of wine.