Savory Tart
A tangle of carrot strips mixed with little morsels of spicy chorizo sausage combine to make a delicious and beautiful tart. A unique and exciting appetizer or even a light lunch with a side salad, this is a perfect way to enjoy those delicious young spring carrots.
I love the way the sweetness of the carrots and vinegar balance out the saltiness of the cream cheese mixture, and the slight spiciness of the chorizo. This tart is truly an ode to spring and those beautiful, colorful, sweet and delicious carrots that fill the farmers market stalls this time of year.
BE BRAVE and switch out the chorizo for a spicy turkey sausage or leave it out completely. This is a great example of one of my tips for following a Mediterranean Diet, which is to use meat as a condiment as opposed to the center of the plate. You get all the flavor of meat without eating a 6-8 oz piece of meat!
One small word of caution, while I love using the rainbow of colors you can get of carrots, I don’t recommend using purple carrots as they tend to bleed their color over all the others while cooking.
Make a savory tart today!
Ribboned Carrot Tart
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
1 box Puff pastry sheets (17.5 oz, two sheets)
1 egg, beaten lightly
6 medium carrots (red, white, orange and yellow)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons O&V Herb Butter Mix *
2 tablespoons water
3 oz (6 tablespoons) cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup diced Spanish chorizo
2 tablespoons O&V Unflavored EVOO (divided) *
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes (less or more to taste for heat)
½ cup microgreens or baby arugula (optional)
2 tablespoons O&V Red Onion Vinegar *
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400F with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a baking sheet (18 x 13) with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface lay out the puff pastry sheets (stacking the two sheets on top of each other) and roll out to get a 10×12 inch rectangle removing fold creases. Gently move to the prepared baking sheet and score a ½ inch border along the edges. Place in freezer for 15 minutes
In a bowl, mix together the dry Herb mix with the water, and steep for 5 minutes. In a food processor, combine the room temperature cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of feta cheese until smooth, and then add to the rehydrated herb mix and combine well.
Beat an egg in a small bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and brush the border with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and bake until puffed and light brown (10-15 minutes). Remove from the oven and lightly press down the center of the pastry (not the border) with a flat spatula.
Peel the carrots and then, using a vegetable peeler make long ribbons of the carrots. Bring a saucepan of water to boil, add kosher salt and then immerse the ribbons of carrots in the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and plunge the carrots strips into a bowl of ice water. Drain after the carrots are cool, and pat dry.
Mix the dry carrot ribbons with the diced chorizo, 1 tablespoon of EVOO, chili flakes and pepper
Scoop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture in dollops over the center of the pastry, smearing gently with the back of the spoon (it will not cover the entire pastry). Arrange carrot and chorizo over the cream cheese and sprinkle on the remaining feta cheese. Bake for an additional 10-13 minutes until pastry is golden browned.
Combine the remaining tablespoon of oil with the microgreens, add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the tart from oven and let cool briefly. Scatter the dressed microgreens, parsley and drizzle the vinegar over the tart, cut and serve.
Serves 6-8
Active time 50 minutes Total Time: 65 minutes
Notes
* The Herb Butter Mix is a brilliant, aromatic blend of green herbs, tomato and spices and adds wonderful flavor to the base of this tart. You can use another high-quality herb mix, but it will certainly change out the flavors. The drizzle of Red Onion Vinegar with its intense caramelized onion sweetness is a perfect complement to the carrots and the savory tart. A good quality, Aged Balsamic can be substituted if you prefer
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores.
Categories: Entrée, Snacks & Sides, Vegetarian Option, Easy Entertaining, Ribboned Carrot Tart, Breakfast & Brunch, Herb Butter Mix, Unflavored EVOO, Aged Balsamic, Red Onion Vinegar, Puff Pastry, Spanish Chorizo Sausage, Mediterranean Diet,
