Roasted Vegetable and Goats Cheese Tart

Serves 2-4

Serving four as a starter or two as a main meal, this relatively easy tart is beautiful to look at and, most importantly, to eat.

It requires some careful slicing and arranging of the vegetables to ensure it stays pretty, but using ready-rolled puff pastry takes much of the effort out of the dish.

I have made suggestions on which vegetables to use, but by all means use ones that you particularly enjoy. If there are any you’re not so keen on, simply switch them with another. The vegetables can always be roasted the day before; just keep in a sealed container ready to use.

• Ingredients:

• For the roasted vegetables:
• 1/2 courgette, cut round ways, approx. 3mm thick
• 1/2 small aubergine, cut round ways, approx. 3mm thick
• 1 round tomato, cut approx. 3mm thick
• 1 small red onion, peeled, cut round ways, approx. 3mm thick
• 1 small beetroot, peeled, cut round ways, approx. 3mm thick
• 1/2 fennel, cut approx. 3mm thick
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• A small pinch each of salt & pepper

• For the rest of the tart:
• 1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
• 3 tsp homemade pesto (or just use shop-bought)
• 50g soft goats cheese
• A few small basil leaves

Step 1: Carefully toss the vegetables in the olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and rosemary and spread on a baking tray.

Step 2: Bake in a preheated oven (180c) for 25-30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Step 3: Next prepare your pastry. Keeping the pastry on a sheet of baking paper, cut the pastry to fit your baking tray or the size of tart you would like (you could always do a few mini ones).

Step 4: Carefully score a 1cm border around the edge of the pastry. Do not cut all the way through the pastry. Prick the central section all over with a fork, again, not all the way through. At this stage you could also brush the border with a little egg wash (beaten egg) which will given a darker and glossy finish to your pastry.

Step 5: Bake in the oven (180c) for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Carefully remove the tray, the pastry should be puffed and slightly coloured. Use a sharp knife to cut into the border to pierce the pastry (again, don’t cut all the way through) and then carefully push the central piece of pastry down, leaving the raised border.

Step 7: Next, spread the pesto over the depressed central section and then carefully arrange your roasted vegetables to fill the tart (I did mine in rows, slightly overlapping).

Step 8: Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Step 9: Remove from the oven and sprinkle the goats cheese over the surface and top with the basil leaves.

This can be served warm or cold and if you are having it as a main meal I would suggest pairing it with a large salad.