discovery
Recipe: roasted pepper, prosciutto, and goat cheese tart
Flowers are blooming down in Boulder. That is typical for this time of year. The tulips are on grand display on Pearl Street right now. So many colors and varieties. I went back to catch some in the rain Sunday evening.
but how do they keep the deer away?
love this purple
The tulips are no surprise. I’ll tell you what was a surprise… last Tuesday, Jeremy and I took Kaweah on a walk and scoped for flowers. None. Still early. On Saturday, we did the same walk in the rain and found the first pasque flowers emerging from the pine litter. They always bloom first up here, and they are a curious flower – short, low to the ground, but the flower itself is quite large and pretty neat. Thus we begin the start of the wildflower season!
a few days old, tops
Despite the rain and snow (yup, still getting snow), we got ants in the pants this weekend and had to get outside to assess the backcountry conditions. Into the local mountains we went. We were greeted with sun, lots of snow on the ground, and snow falling from the sky while clouds raced past overhead. The alpine lakes are beginning to thaw.
kaweah had loads of fun
Not all of my recent discoveries were outside. I happened upon one in the kitchen too. A month ago, I decided to flip through my library of Fine Cooking issues (I have them all except #1, because Rich Chin borrowed it and NEVER GAVE IT BACK – you twerp!) and hunt for interesting recipes to try. I compiled a sizable list and began tackling a couple each week. Did you hear me whoop and holler last week when I tasted this one fresh out of the oven?
press the crust dough into a tart pan with removable bottom
bake the shell
What drew me to the recipe was the goat cheese. I quite love goat cheese and that might be because it doesn’t fight with my GI system the way dairy does. Or it might be because it is delicious. What really won me over were the…
peppers
beautiful, roasted peppers
peel the skins (super easy!)
Instead of charring the peppers over the grill (or worse, your stove), you can roast them for a really sweet and intense pepper flavor in your oven. I considered grilling them until I read somewhere that oven-roasting actually yields a lovely texture and flavor. Why not? It was quite easy to do. I’m glad I roasted all six peppers because I have enough leftover to make a second tart this week.
thinly sliced onions
sauté with spices until golden brown
Once the onions were done, I mixed them with the peppers, cheese, prosciutto, basil, and thyme. It smelled so good already – a heady mixture.
a lovely combination
sprinkle goat cheese
Because I tossed in 25% more of some ingredients than called for (peppers, cheese, prosciutto – come on, you’d do it too), I had enough filling and crust dough leftover for an additional 4-inch tart. What I need is to get a taller tart pan so I can stuff it full of this amazing goodness.
pouring the egg and cream mixture over the tart
a little savory tart
It’s probably a good idea to place the tart pans on a baking sheet when they bake in the oven unless you enjoy scrubbing burnt and hardened goo off the bottom of the oven. The tarts baked up perfectly. And here is the kicker – Jeremy, who is no fan of bell peppers, onions, or goat cheese, LOVED this tart. He had seconds at dinner, then took the leftovers for lunch twice. This can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the prosciutto (I know, unthinkable!). It would be great to serve for any meal, not just dinner. I’m adding it to my list of goto entertaining recipes too – it is THAT good. Now go make this for yourself. You deserve it.
an incredible marriage of fresh flavors
dig in
Oven-Roasted Pepper Tart with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese
[print recipe]
from Fine Cooking issue #93
shell
7 oz. (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 oz. unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
filling
2 medium red or orange bell peppers
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 thin slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips
6 large basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
Tart shell: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and cut the butter in with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk and two tablespoons of water together. Pour this over the flour mixture, stirring it in with a fork until well incorporated. Stir in a few more tablespoons of water (one tbsp at a time) until the dough begins to clump. Invert the contents onto a work surface and press the it all together into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of an hour. When ready to use, roll the cold dough on a floured work surface to about 3/16-inch thickness and a 12-13 inch diameter (round). Line the tart pan with the dough without stretching it, but pressing it gently into the shape. Trim the excess dough by rolling the rolling pin over the edge of the pan. Wrap the pan and dough in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line the tart dough with foil and weight it with dried beans or pie weights. Don’t wrap the foil over the edges, instead let them stand up so as to let the edges brown. Bake until the edges are light and golden, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil (with the beans or weights) and continue to bake for another 10 minutes until it turns golden. Press down any domes in the surface before allowing the crust to cool completely.
Roast the peppers: Heat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the center. Place bell peppers on a rimmed baking sheet (I lined mine with foil) and roast from 45 to 60 minutes, turning the peppers every 15 minutes until they are wrinkled. Remove from the oven and place a dishtowel over them so they can sweat. When the peppers have cooled, the skins should be easy to remove. Peel, core, and de-seed the peppers and then cut them into strips.
The filling: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and half of the thyme. Stir often until the onions become soft and golden brown (about 15 minutes, but it took me 10 – perhaps because I had my flame on high…) Remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and cream together. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. In a large bowl, combine the peppers, onions, prosciutto, basil, grated cheese, and remaining thyme until well mixed.
Assembly: Set the tartshell (in pan) on a baking sheet and fill it with the pepper mixture. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the filling and then pour the egg mixture over everything until the pastry is full (there may be excess – I had 1/2 cup extra). Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes at 375°F or until the custard is set. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
May 4th, 2009 at 2:20 am
Wow! My husband will love this! I shall make this for his birthday this month!! That’s lots of beautiful photos in one post!! wow Wow WOW!
May 4th, 2009 at 6:01 am
That tart combines many of my favorite flavors — definitely going to make it!! I’m a big fan of a slice of tart alongside some salad for lunch…great idea. Beautiful pictures of the tulips and pasque flowers, too!
May 4th, 2009 at 6:07 am
sooooooooooo making that ASAP. I have a deep and abiding love of the goat cheese and that looks incredible! mmmmmm
May 4th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I HAVE to try this tart. It sounds and looks delicious…..
May 4th, 2009 at 6:19 am
How beautiful, esp. with your orange and almond salad. I might just make this next week for guests. Or for mother, when she comes in early June.
I’m looking forward to pictures of Kaweah in those lakes, too. It’s always nice in summer to see her swimming. We’re going to have to build an ark over here, since it Won’t. Stop. Raining.
May 4th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Love roasted peppers (always ovenroast, always!), saw the goat cheese and thought…:-( not for me; husband hates goat cheese, but… when this one convinces yours to love it i can always try! Try and not tell!
May 4th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Holy cow! I woke up in the middle of the night remembering that I needed to take a savory “snack” to my class Tuesday morning. Guess what I’m taking!! My classmates & I will LOVE this. Thanks Jen!
May 4th, 2009 at 6:39 am
The shots of the flowers are just amazing, and the tart ties in so well, bursting with colour.
May 4th, 2009 at 6:41 am
That tart must taste incredibly good! A delicious blend of flavors…
I love that third flower picture!
Cheers,
Rosa
May 4th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Oh no you did not just suggest that we remove the prosciutto! (Well, okay, I have a big mouth because I’m unrestricted :) The tart baked up beautifully– I love the melty bits on top. I may have to start collecting Fine Cooking issues of my own! (egads, I’ve got too many magazines as it is!)
Lovely macros of the flowers too! :)
May 4th, 2009 at 7:27 am
What a coincidence, I was just thinking about quiches last night and wondering if I should make one with goat cheese, instead of the usual grated gruyère or creamy boursin. This looks reeeeeally tempting!
May 4th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Can i omit the eggs? :) The last time i made a sour tart with fantastic ingredients, the eggs just ate them up, before it was all mushrooms and leek and prosciutto and then it was just eggs with specks of sth that had a flavor before it went in the tart shell … tragic!
May 4th, 2009 at 7:39 am
A couple of weeks ago my husband wanted to know why I planted so many pepper plants. Aha! I will be impatiently waiting for my first harvest so I can make this tart. I can’t wait!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Jen, I have a “thing” for goat cheese, too – can’t stop eating it. :D
When I was in Paris, I had it in so many ways – salads, quiches, sandwiches – the hubby thought I would get tired of it… I actually began loving it even more. :D
Your tart looks beautiful, as well as the flowers – love the purple one, too!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I just had my breakfast and am enjoying a cup of coffee and I want a big slice of this right now. Holy Crap it looks good.
This recipe might help me get over my fear of tart/pie dough (I know, I know)
I love the picture of your pouring the egg/cream mixture on top. Makes my mouth water.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Gorgeous photos! The tart looks amazing too. Roasted peppers are so flavorful. I just love them!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:50 am
i have not tried any savory pies/tarts yet, but will bookmark this to return and look at it :)
tulips are gorgeous, btw!
May 4th, 2009 at 10:04 am
This looks sooo good! And thanks for the instructions on roasting peppers. I always want to do this and then think I won’t do it right and don’t do it at all. It sounds so simple though!
May 4th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Oh boy this looks good. I am with you all the way about goat cheese.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Wow, yum!!! There’s a Williams-Sonoma recipe for a great goat cheese, tomatoes and eggplant tart that my husband really likes.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Oh wow. *and these are a few of my favorite things* just ran through my head. Not to mention that I bought a little bunch of tulips at the farmers market on Sat. I love spring.
May 4th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
And the salad in the last photos was ???
I’m thinking slivered almonds, & fresh mandarin…..anything else? Standard dressing?
The tart looks amazing. You’ve almost got me ready to break by locovore vows (since it’s gonna be quite a while before red peppers are harvestable where I live), you temptress!
May 4th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Oh yum… I can’t wait to make this!
May 4th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Very lovely photos. I love the one of the purple flower, especially.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Wow, I have every issue of Fine Cooking, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country and I never cook from them. This looks like something to try!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
that sounds so close to this spread a friend of mine makes. she mixes goat cheese, roasted peppers, basil, garlic and golden raisins. it’s so yummy I gorge when she makes it.
May 5th, 2009 at 1:32 am
If I could marry goat cheese I would… and then have roasted peppers and prosciutto in the wedding party! That had to be one yummy tart…and such a cute tartelette :)
The pasque flowers really have a psychedelic quality about them. Love it!
May 5th, 2009 at 4:10 am
What a wonderful idea, I usually use sun dried tomatoes, but I confess that I’m tried to use this combo.
Love the idea and beautiful flowers
May 5th, 2009 at 11:57 am
incredible mix of flavors indeed. I know I would love this combo. savory is always good.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Very cute! Looks so delicious.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Very nice…love the combination of flavors…by the way, the pictures are just great.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Made the tart for my class. They loved it but there isn’t any left!! I’ll be making this again soon.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
It does look so pretty but… I really don’t like goat cheese. I so WANT to, but I’ve tried 6 or 7 times now and it just hasn’t happened yet. :( So many otherwise good recipes with goat cheese that I feel like I can’t make. Perhaps I’ve eaten the wrong ones.
The beans in the pan thing… I’ve seen Amy at Eggs do it too and learned something now from both of you. See? What would I do without blogs? :P
May 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I have been on such a tart kick lately……I love anything with a filling!
This looks terrific, it will be next on my tart list!
Stacey Snacks
May 5th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
It’s gorgeous. Perfect for Mother’s Day!
Now if I can get my 10-month-old to make it for me…. hee.
May 5th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Amazing flavors. It’s funny I think one of the things that draws me to your blog is that you live the life I always dreamed about, hiking, wildflowers, beautiful photography. Thanks for the peek of flowers.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Too beautiful to eat!!!!! ;)
May 9th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Mrs. Ergul – hope he enjoys it as much as we did :)
Amy – me too, it’s a little bit of homemade goodness with a healthy salad – perfect for lunch!
Mollie – I hear ya, ever since I tried goat cheese, I’ve been hooked.
Debbie – yes! try it, I’m sure you will love it too.
Fiona – nice :) It makes for great entertaining. Kaweah can’t wait to swim in the lakes either. Right now, she runs on them!
Baking Soda – you could replace the goat cheese with feta or some other cheese perhaps?
Kristin – v. cool! I hope it’s a hit with everyone.
Y – thank you, sweetie!
Rosa – it’s a lovely and mild tart :)
Manggy – ha ha ha! I would never remove the prosciutto. I double it ;) thanks!!
Valerie – I’m quite the fan of goat cheese lately. It’s been working well for my tastebuds.
Maja – the eggs are not terribly prominent in this tart because the onions, peppers, thyme, all contribute flavors up front.
Karen – oooh, I’m jealous of the pepper plants!
Patricia – wow, that must have been fantastic! mmmmmm :)
Whitney – this dough is pretty straightforward. I didn’t have too much trouble (if it’s too crumbly, just add some more water). You should give it a shot.
Maria – thank you.
Pearl – oh, savory tarts are my favs :)
Andrea – I was the same way. It was the first time I roasted peppers and from now on, that’s how I will do them (not charring on a grill or on the stove). They are super sweet and delicious.
Laura – :)
Irene – that sounds good too.
Caitlin – awesome!
Helen – the salad is a citrus almond salad which you can find in my recipe archives (click on recipes in the menu at the top or bottom of page). The tart rocks!
TMB – yay, more converts!
Memoria – thank you.
Ninette – I get into that mode too, which is why I’m so glad I decided to flip through old issues and try some of these awesome recipes.
Charlane – that sounds lovely!
Tartelette – ha ha ha, you are funny ;) I like how fuzzy those flowers are.
Sylvia – thanks, although I can’t take credit, you’ll have to thank Fine Cooking.
Dawn – mmmm!
Asianmommy – thanks.
Juliana – thank you!
Kristin – great job on that tart :)
Melissa – it’s okay, I ‘m sure you can sub something else like feta or ??? Yup, those beans are super handy for pie crusts. I don’t do it often, so I’m lucky I had dried beans on hand.
Stacey – yum! Hope you like it.
Abby – ha ha! It’s never too early to start, right? :)
Lori – you’re very welcome. Our flowers are fleeting, but they are lovely.
Margie – ;)
May 10th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Beautiful!
May 10th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Macie – why thank you!
May 13th, 2009 at 4:14 am
WOW they look awesome!! Nom nom nom. I love flower season :) We have SO many bulbs in the town where we live – waaaaay too many daffodils (there’s a daffodil festival), so I’m planting tulips :D
May 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I made this for dinner this weekend. I don’t have a tart pan and the small town that I live in does not sell them. So, I just used a pie pan. For the crust, I substituted whole wheat pastry flour and it turned out great.
We all loved this recipe. The goat cheese really added something special. The tart was accompanied by a salad very similar to yours using fresh lettuce from my garden. It was a great Saturday dinner. Thanks!!
May 20th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
LizzieBee – I like tulips much more than daffodils, but considering daffodils are one of the earliest bloomers, I’m always happy to see them when they arrive!
Leanna – awesome! I would like to try with whole wheat flour sometime too. Good to know it worked!
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Came across your site when looking for a Carolina Pulled Pork, thank you wonderful. Love your site and all the dishes…only wish I could get all the ingredients to make these wonderful dishes. We live in Tonga in South Pacific.
Thank you for sharing what you do.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Karen – Thank you for your lovely comment. Best of luck on getting the ingredients. Get creative with substitutions :) Tonga, eh? That is *awesome*! :)
May 27th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I don’t think I’ve left a comment on your blog before, although I’ve become quite a regular reader.
I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe tonight (although I substituted my mom’s famous pie crust recipe). I made tiny individual tarts in a muffin pan, and they were DELICIOUS! The hit of the party, and guests were arguing over who would get to take the leftovers home! And the best part was how simple really it was to put together!
Thanks for a sure-fire winner!
May 30th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Roasted peppers are so good and this tart that combines them with prosciutto and cheese sounds great!
June 1st, 2009 at 9:17 am
Amy – well, I’m glad to hear from you! :) Mmm, little tarts are awesome. I’m so happy your tarts were a hit! Love Fine Cooking, they develop some awesome recipes.
Kevin – thanks hon!!
June 14th, 2009 at 2:16 am
I think you live in paradise!!! Where do you live exactly?
June 14th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Palaisdeslys – I live in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado. It is basically paradise to me :)
July 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I’ve made this several times… It’s sooooooooooo good! Adding sauteed swiss chard or kale is extra yummy!
July 20th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Kimberly – great! So glad you like it!
August 4th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Oh my, that does look colorful and scrumptious! Our peppers are starting to come in, so I’ll have to make this for dinner sometime.
August 9th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Andrea – with the fresh peppers from your garden, I’ll bet it will be EVEN BETTER! I loved it. Sooo good.
August 9th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
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