Rata-tah-tah

So to finish off our month of pies, we're going to leave you with a savory dish inspired by the movie Ratatouille.  Ratatouille is a traditional provincial French dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, and squash. 

Usually served in a chunky stew form, we thought we'd try something different and bring it to you in a tart form that can be served as a side dish or the main course itself.

Ratatouille Tart with Black Pepper-Parmesan Crust

Black Pepper-Parmesan Crust

1 ¼ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
7 ½ tbsp chilled, unsalted butter (= 1 pat short of a full stick)
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2-2 ½ tbsp ice water
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Mix in the black pepper and then add in the water a bit at a time.  Mix with a fork until the dough just comes together. Form it into a ball, wrap with wax paper or Saran, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Remove from fridge. Flatten out the ball a bit, add the parmesan and fold into the dough.

Once the cheese is thoroughly blended in, form dough back into a flattened circle and roll out. You want the crust to be larger than your tart pan. Gentle lay the crust over the tart pan and press in to fit to the sides.

Roll the pin over the top of the tart pan to cut off any extra crust.  You can use pie weights or dried beans to line the pan to keep the crust from bubbling while it bakes.

For our example, we are using an 8” tart pan, but you should be able to get a 9-10” tart out of the dough as well. With the extra dough, we have enough to make a “rustic” individual serving of the tart.

Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes until cooked through.

Note: during the "making of" process, we did not let the bottom cook through and it did not finish baking during the "baking off" process once it was all assembled, so it is key to peek through the beans (maybe do a smaller layer than we did here) or weights to make sure it's not still doughy when it comes out of the oven.

Ratatouille Filling

1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 small eggplant
1 Roma tomato (slightly less than totally ripe makes it easier to cut and hold the slice)
Olive oil
Salt
1 can diced tomatoes

Rinse off the vegetables and then cut each into 3/8” slices.

In a skillet with a tidge of olive oil, lightly sauté the zucchini and yellow squash slices.

Because they have a denser consistency than the tomato and eggplant, pre-cooking them will guarantee that they will be cooked through when you bake the tart.

Brush the bottom of the tart crust with olive oil and then layer the slices, alternating vegetables, around the edge.

Because we did ours in an 8” tart pan, to create the center circle, we cut the slices in halves and then filled up the center with dices of each. In a 9-10” pan you should be able to get a second full circle layer in with no problem.

Lightly brush the vegetables and crust with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

We used a basil flavored oil, but you can use whatever you’d like, flavored or regular.

Cover the tart with foil and pop into oven at 400°. Bake for 25 minutes with the foil, then remove it and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until crush is lightly browned. When the vegetables are soft, tart is done.

Tomato Reduction Sauce

While the tart is baking, puree a can of diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor.  Bring them to a boil in a small covered saucepan.  Lower to medium heat and continue cooking until reduced by half the original amount. The reduction intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes and then can be served on top of or on the side of the tart.

An 8" tart will serve 4-6 depending on your slices.  Serve with a nice red wine and a crisp salad on the side.  Bon appetit!


Coming up next month, to get you ready for the hot summer ahead, we'll be serving up cold soups, salads and pasta dishes, so stay tuned and stay cool.