Zucchini Tart with Lemon Thyme and Goat Cheese

from Fine Cooking magazine




                                                    Zucchini Tart with Lemon Thyme and Goat Cheese



So simple. So sinfully good.

Success meter (1-3): 3+++

Simple tart dough made from flour, butter, salt, vinegar and cold water.

Using a mandoline gives you uniform slices and insures your zucchini will cook evenly.

Salted and sweating out the moisture.

Laptops make great magazine holders!

A simple filling of goat cheese, thyme, salt & pepper.

The recipe calls for lemon thyme. I have English thyme growing in my yard and it tasted fabulous. The instructions say you can add lemon zest if you don't have lemon thyme. Personally I do not think it needs it for the goat cheese has a tartness of its own.

Zucchini drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

I halved the recipe. I rolled it thinner than 1/4 inch thick and came out with an 8-1/2 inch tart.

I omited the drizzle of olive oil at the end. I felt it already had plenty.

This post was edited 6/26/2013.

Zucchini Tart with Lemon Thyme

and Goat Cheese

Serves 8

When preparing the dough for this gorgeous tart, don’t omit the white vinegar; it makes the crust flaky and tender. If you can’t find lemon thyme, use 1 tsp. chopped thyme and ¼ tsp. finely grated lemon zest instead.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

5 oz. cold unsalted butter

¾ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. white vinegar

3-4 Tbl. cold water

1 ½ lb. zucchini

1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

8 oz. softened plain goat cheese

1 tsp. chopped fresh lemon thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, and salt until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the vinegar and cold water, pulsing until the dough just comes together. Shape the dough into a 1-inch thick disk; wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough on a well-floured surface into an 11-inch round that’s ¼-inch thick. Put the dough on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and chill until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.

Trim the zucchini and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. In a colander, toss the zucchini with 2 tsp. salt and drain for 30 minutes. Gently squeeze the slices with your hands to release excess water and transfer to a medium bowl.

Position a drack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the zucchini with the olive oil and pepper to taste.  In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the cheese over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Arrange the squash rounds in tightly overlapping concentric circles all the way to the edge of the dough. (The rounds will shrink as they cook.) Drizzle with 1 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil and bake until the zucchini is golden-brown, 40-50 minutes.

Fine Cooking/June-July 2012