<\/a>Ingredients for a ratatouille tart. (Photo by Patty Schied)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
This tart takes time and attention. For those of you who totally dread the thought of making pastry, you can use these ingredients to simply making a gratin in a casserole. It will taste just fine; it just won’t have a crust. I used a dirt cheap mandoline to slice the squash which does it lickety split, but if you have a very sharp knife and are skilled at slicing, you will do just fine. It’s important to keep the sliced vegetables the same width (about an eighth of an inch for the tart, a quarter of an inch if you are making this as a gratin casserole).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
EGGPLANT LAYER:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Ingredients:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1 small firm shiny eggplant, peeled and diced into small cubes<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1 red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced fine<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 4 tablespoons of olive oil<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Salt and pepper<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In a large frying pan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add eggplant, garlic and chopped pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are softened. Add salt and pepper. Remember to taste for seasoning. Set aside and let cool for about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Cut-up vegetables for a ratatouille tart. (Photo by Patty Schied)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t THE SQUASH AND TOMATO LAYERS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t One small zucchini<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t One small yellow squash (the same diameter as the zucchini)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 6 or so small tomatoes (Compari or Roma)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Olive oil<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Salt, pepper and ½ teaspoon dried thyme<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t DIRECTIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t While the eggplant mixture is cooling, slice zucchini and squash about 1\/8 an inch thick, taking care to make them the same size. Slice tomatoes as thin as you can manage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Slicing vegetables thin and evenly for a ratatouille tart. (Photo by Patty Schied)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Spread the cooled eggplant mixture on the blind-baked tart crust. Layer the yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes in concentric circles or other decorative pattern over the eggplant mixture.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Brush squash and tomatoes generously with olive oil<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Bake for 30 minutes. Remove tart from oven and sprinkle with a mixture of ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese and\/or ½ cup bread crumbs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Remove the tart to a rack and let cool for about 20 minutes (or longer) before serving.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The crust for a ratatouille tart. (Photo by Patty Schied)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t TART CRUST<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In a food processor, or by hand, blend 1¼ cup flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add one 8 oz cube of cold butter, cut into cubes. Mix in processor (or by hand) until butter is the size of small peas.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Add three tablespoons of ice-cold water blended with two tablespoons of cold plain vodka (the vodka helps prevent the crust from shrinking). Blend to mix. Turn out dough onto a floured board and shape into an eight-inch disk. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough and gently place into an 11-inch tart pan. Prick dough all over. Place pie weights or dried beans in aluminum foil onto crust.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans or weights from pastry. Return to oven for 10 more minutes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before placing the filling onto the crust.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t • Patty Schied is a longtime Juneau resident who studied at the Cordon Bleu in London, has cooked meals for both AWARE and the Glory Hall, and has written a cookbook. Cooking For Pleasure appears every other week in Capital City Weekly.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/a><\/a>