A versatile tart that can be filled with whatever vegetables and herbs you have on hand. The quark in the filling gives the tart a welcome zing and cuts through the richness of the eggs and cream. This tart is wonderful eaten warm or cold.
Ingredients
Serves 8
Pastry
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes sea salt
1 egg yolk
Iced water
Filling
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
200ml Schulz pure cream
150g Schulz quark
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 125g cherry tomatoes, halved Small handful of rocket, roughly chopped
Caramelised onions
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion, halved and finely sliced 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Sea salt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 sprig of oregano or thyme
Method
To make the pastry, tip the flour onto a clean work surface and sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Add the butter and toss through the flour. Using a metal pastry scraper or a knife, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix in, followed by iced water, 1tbsp at a time, until the dough just comes together, using your hands or a pastry scraper to help it along. Shape the pastry dough into a rough flat circle, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and, on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 30cm circle, about 3mm thick. Ease the pastry into a 25cm fluted loose-bottomed tin, press gently into the sides, then cut off any overhanging pastry. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
Preheat the oven to 180C. While the pastry is chilling in the refrigerator, begin cooking the onions. Warm the oil in a pan over a low-medium heat and add the onions and garlic and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes then add the sugar and continue cooking for another 10-15minutes or until golden and caramelised. Stir through the oregano or thyme and set aside to cool.
Remove the chilled tart shell from the refrigerator and line the base with baking paper. Fill the tart with baking beads or rice and blind bake the tart in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until light golden. Remove the baking paper and weights.
Arrange the cooled onions in the base of the tart followed by the halved cherry tomatoes and the rocket.
Make the quark filling by whisking all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and gently pour into the tart.
Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the centre just set. Leave to cool for 20 minutes then transfer to a serving plate.