Monday 21 March 2011

Ottolenghi Caramelised Garlic Tart


This tart is worth peeling 3 heads of garlic for. Eat it whilst it's still warm with a glass of wine and a big bowl of salad. Thumbs up Yotam, this tart is special.


You can use any type of goat’s cheese but mixing some hard and some soft gives a great balance of textures.
500 g pack of puff pastry, defrosted
3 heads garlic, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
220 ml water
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp chopped herbs: rosemary and thyme
120 g soft goat’s cheese
120 g hard goat’s cheese
3 eggs
200 g crème fraiche
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Roll out the puff pastry so that it lines the base and sides of a 28cm tart tin. If you have the time, stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to rest. Then, prick the base with a fork and line the pastry with greaseproof paper and dried beans or rice. Blind bake (ie bake the base partly before filling) for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the paper and beans and put back in the oven for another five minutes so that the base dries out. Set them aside to cool.
Sweat the whole garlic cloves in the olive oil over a very gentle heat for 10 minutes. Don’t allow them to colour. Turn up the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, the water and sugar. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Most of the liquid needs to evaporate and the cloves should be well coated in a dark, caramel-type thick glaze.
Scatter the cheeses on to the base of the pastry. Then scatter the garlic cloves and any balsamic juices on top. Arrange the cloves so that they are evenly distributed. Whisk the eggs and crème fraiche and pour the mix on top. Bake the tart on a baking tray (so that it’s easier to transport) at 160 C for about 35 minutes or until the mixture looks as though it has just set. There’s not that much liquid in this recipe so it does cook quickly. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving with a big salad.