Goat’s cheese, pea and mint tart

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 150g goat’s cheese
• 200g peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Small handful mint, finely chopped
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the pastry ready

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined baking tray and score a border about 2cm in from the edge, being careful not to cut all the way through. This is what gives you that nicely puffed edge rather than something flat and a bit fed up with life.

2. Make the base

Mix the crème fraîche with the Dijon mustard, most of the mint, most of the parsley, the lemon zest and a little black pepper. Spread it over the middle of the pastry, staying within the border, then crumble over half of the goat’s cheese.

3. Add the peas

If using frozen peas, run them under warm water briefly to take off the chill, then drain well. Scatter the peas over the tart, followed by the rest of the goat’s cheese. Drizzle with the olive oil and add a little salt and black pepper. Not too much salt, mind – the cheese is already doing some of that work for you.

4. Bake until golden

Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg, then bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden and the goat’s cheese has softened and caught a little here and there. You want it looking bronzed and properly inviting, not pale and hesitant.

5. Finish properly

Leave the tart to sit for 5 minutes once out of the oven, then scatter over the remaining mint and parsley. This keeps the herbs bright and lively rather than cooking them into the background.

6. Serve

Slice and serve warm, ideally with a green salad alongside. It is just as good at room temperature too, which makes it a useful one for lunch as well as supper.

A couple of helpful notes

- A little lemon juice over the tart just before serving works very nicely if you want to sharpen everything up a touch.
- If your goat’s cheese is especially soft, pop it in the fridge for a bit before crumbling – it makes life easier.
- A handful of broad beans added alongside the peas would fit in very nicely if you want to make it feel even more summery.