Courgette and goat’s cheese tart with a lemon-dressed salad

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 2 medium courgettes
• 150g soft goat’s cheese
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Small handful fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the lemon-dressed salad
• 1 little gem lettuce, or a few handfuls of mixed leaves
• 1 small shallot, very finely sliced
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the oven and pastry ready

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined baking tray and score a border around the edge, about 2cm in from the sides, being careful not to cut all the way through. This gives you something nicely puffed around the outside rather than a tart that looks like it has given up.

2. Make the base

Mix the crème fraîche with the Dijon mustard and a little black pepper, then spread it over the middle of the pastry, staying inside the border. Crumble over roughly half of the goat’s cheese.

3. Prep the courgettes

Slice the courgettes fairly finely, then toss them with the olive oil, thyme, a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Arrange them over the tart, slightly overlapping as you go. Scatter over the rest of the goat’s cheese.

4. Finish the tart

Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden and the courgettes are tender with a little colour here and there.

5. Make the salad

While the tart is in the oven, whisk together the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Add the shallot and let it sit for a few minutes so it softens slightly. Just before serving, toss through the salad leaves.

6. Serve

Let the tart sit for 5 minutes once it comes out of the oven, then cut into slices and serve with the lemon-dressed salad alongside. It is at its best when the pastry is still crisp and the goat’s cheese still a little warm and soft.

A couple of helpful notes

- If your courgettes seem particularly watery, lay the slices on kitchen paper and give them a light sprinkle of salt for 10 minutes before using.
- A little lemon zest over the tart before serving works very nicely if you want to tie it more closely to the salad.
- This is excellent warm, but also very good at room temperature, which makes it useful for lunches and not just immediate eating.