Blue Cheese and Vegetable Tart
I’m particularly fond of pies, tarts and quiches. Making my own pastry and serving up one of these beauties makes me feel like I’ve achieved something in life. But sometimes, I just can’t be bothered. That’s where shop-bought puff pastry comes in, and makes you look like an accomplished cook without any of the effort. This fabulous recipe uses ready-rolled sheets of pastry, which are just brilliant and save so much time. As well as looking pretty impressive, I think this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.
Which Blue Cheese Works Best?
The funny thing is, I really don’t like blue cheese on a cracker. But cook it in almost anything, and it becomes one of my all-time favourite ingredients. If a restaurant menu has something with blue cheese in it, you can pretty much guarantee that I will choose it. In this recipe, I use blue Stilton, but Dolcelatte would work just as well if you like a milder flavour. In fact, any blue cheese would probably taste great on this tart if you want to branch out or you see one on offer in the supermarket and fancy trying it. Personally, I would stick with cheese made from cow’s milk, but if goat’s or sheep’s cheese is your thing, go for it.
A little disclosure: there are affiliate links on this page! That just means if you click on a link, find something you like and buy it, I’ll make some cash. You won’t pay any extra, though.
Blue Cheese and Vegetable Tart
Course: MainCuisine: French6
servings15
minutes50
minutes1
hour5
minutesImpressive looking tart that is so easy to make. This recipe serves six if serving as a main meal or twelve if part of a buffet.
Ingredients
2 ready rolled puff pastry sheets
Knob of butter
4 tbsp olive oil
4 onions, halved and sliced
2 tbsp muscovado sugar
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 courgettes, sliced thinly
2 tomatoes, de-seeded and sliced thinly or a handful of baby tomatoes, halved
2 blocks Stilton or other blue cheese, roughly 180 g – 220 g each
salt and pepper
fresh bread + salad, to serve
Directions
- Unroll the puff pastry sheets, and place on two baking trays, still on the greaseproof paper. Prick each sheet several times with a fork.
- Using a knife, score a line about one inch from the inside of each edge to make a rectangle. Don’t cut all the way through the pastry.
- Melt the butter and 2 tbsp olive oil over a low heat. Stir in the onions, and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
- Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar to the onions. Cook for 5 minutes with the lid on, shaking the pan occasionally. Drain any liquid. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Remember that blue cheese is salty, so don’t add too much salt.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the courgettes. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Divide the onion equally between the 2 pastry sheets using a slotted spoon. Spread across the pastry up to the internal borders made with the knife.
- Divide the courgettes and spread on top of the onions with a slotted spoon followed by the tomatoes.
- Remove any rind from the blue cheese. Break the remaining cheese into small pieces with your hands or a knife. Sprinkle on top of the vegetables, trying to stay within the borders.
- Bake the tarts on 2 shelves for 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Cut each tart into three pieces if you’re having it as a main meal, or six if part of a buffet.
Notes
- Adapted from a recipe in ‘Mary Berry ABSOLUTE FAVOURITES‘ – published by BBC Books
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