Roast Squash & Blue Cheese Thyme Tart

Name: Roast Squash & Blue Cheese Thyme Tart
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 225 g plain flour (plus extra for dusting); 125 g butter (cold, cut into small pieces); 2 tbsp rapeseed oil; 2 large red onion (halved & slice into half moons); 3 large egg; 300 ml double cream; 125 ml blue cheese (crumbled); fresh thyme; ground nutmeg (freshly grated); sea salt; ground black pepper; 1 small butternut squash (deseeded, sliced into bitesize chunks (approx 700g)); 1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil; fresh thyme; sea salt; ground black pepper

90 mins

561 cals per serving

Donal's Notes

A tart recipe like this one is a good one to have up your sleeve. In it’s most basic form it’s essentially a quiche, a good pastry base with a savoury egg and cream filling. This basic method can be adapted with a whole host of different ingredients.

Equipment

Baking tray

Frying pan

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Rolling pin

Baking beans

Parchment paper

tart tin 20cm x 6cm

Knife

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Place the squash on a flat baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle over the thyme, sea salt and black pepper. Toss to coat completely. Roast the squash in the oven for 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove and allow to cool completely.

Heat a little oil in frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle with sea salt, fry gently for 10 minutes or until completely softened. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Place the flour, butter and salt in a mixing bowl and using your finger tips rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Mix through 2 tbsp of cold water and press into a dough. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Whisk through a little grated nutmeg, some thyme leaves and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Lower the heat in the oven to 180˚C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Roll the dough out on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour until it’s roughly 4mm in thickness. Transfer to a tart tin approx. 20cm in diameter and 6cm deep. Prick the base of the pastry case and lay in a sheet of parchment paper. Pour in baking beans and place the tart tin on a baking sheet. Bake the pastry case for 10 minutes in the oven and then remove the baking beans and parchment paper and return the tart tin to the oven to continue to cook for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Fill the pastry case with the roasted squash, blue cheese and caramelized red onions. Pour over the cream and egg mixture and allow to seep in around the filling- wiggle the tin slightly to ensure this happens. Sprinkle the top with a few sprigs of thyme and place back in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin, cutting off the excess pastry around the edges, slicing and serving with a freshly dressed salad.