Ratatouille Tart

, from Issue #12. August, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Ratatouille Tart

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
225 grams flour
pinch salt
170 grams butter, diced and chilled
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons iced water

Filling
2 onions sliced
10 whole cloves garlic, skin on
2 cloves garlic, crushed
350 grams eggplant, diced
1 x 400 gram tin Italian tomatoes, crushed with juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese for grating
3 vines baby tomatoes
3-4 baby eggplants

METHOD

Pastry: Put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and pulse until coarse breadcrumbs.

Mix the yolk and water together and use the pulse button to combine with the flour. When the pastry just starts to come together, tip onto the bench and bring together with your hands. Form into a flat disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench and line a 11 cm x 35 cm or a 24 cm round tart tin with a removable base. Chill for 30 minutes.

Line the pastry case with crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake a further 5 minutes. Cool.

Filling: Toss the onions and whole garlic cloves with a little oil and season. Place on a baking tray and roast until the garlic is soft and the onions are golden. Turn the onions once during cooking. Peel the garlic when cool.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the eggplant for 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic, tomatoes and thyme and season. Simmer for 10 minutes then stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Spoon the onion and eggplant mixture into the tart case and scatter over some grated Parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Slice the baby eggplant from the stem end and spread out like a fan. Brush with olive oil and season. Place on a baking tray and roast until tender. Add the vine tomatoes for about 5 minutes or until just starting to break their skins. Place both on top of the cooked tart and sprinkle with a little more Parmesan. 

The tart can be topped with slices of tomato, the peeled garlic cloves and a sprinkle of Parmesan before baking if baby eggplants and tomatoes are not available.