Savory Summer Tarts Recipes

SAVORY SUMMER TARTS

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If dough doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and form into 2 (5-inch) squares. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make tart shells:
• Arrange flan rings on 2 parchment-paper-lined baking sheets. Roll out 1 portion of dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 rough squares. Gently fit each square into a ring (do not stretch dough). Trim excess dough flush with rim. Lightly prick each shell several times with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and rings.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Line shells with foil (not heavy-duty) and fill with pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shells until golden-brown all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, then remove flan rings.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Assemble goat cheese and tomato tarts:
• Cook haricots verts in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and divide among 4 tart shells along with tomatoes, then top with a round of cheese.
• Assemble crab and tarragon tarts:
• Cook shallot in 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat, then cook bread, stirring, until golden. Toss croutons with shallot and divide among 4 tart shells. Toss crab with tarragon, zest, and cayenne and add to same shells.
• Assemble pea, scallion, and pancetta tarts:
• Cook scallions in oil in cleaned small skillet over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in peas and warm through, then divide mixture among remaining 4 tart shells. Add pancetta to skillet and cook, turning once, until just crisp. Reserve pancetta.
• Make custard and bake tarts:
• Whisk together custard ingredients with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide among shells. Sprinkle chives over goat cheese tarts and top pea tarts with pancetta.
• Bake tarts on baking sheets until custard is just set, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

ASHLEY'S SAVORY SUMMER VEGGIE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake the frozen pastry shells in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; remove and set aside.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk together the condensed soup, milk, chile pepper, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a saucepan over low heat.
• Preheat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the garlic, onion, red pepper, and asparagus until tender. Stir the soup mixture in with the vegetables and spoon into the prepared pastry shells. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before garnishing with parsley to serve.