White truffle-flavoured zucchini tart

Looking for a light supper or an al fresco lunch? Then look no further than this delectable courgette tart by Héloïse Brion, as featured in her book Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining.

In the introduction to this book, Héloïse Brion writes about her childhood years spent growing up between the US and France.

“Throughout each school year in Florida, life followed the rhythm of regular holidays and celebrations like Thanksgiving, Easter, and birthdays. For these festive events, my mother and I would decorate our home with care to fi t the occasion. During my summer vacations in France, the rhythm shifted, and daily family meals in the French tradition set the pace of each passing day. In our family’s old mountain farmhouse tucked away in the Pyrenees, spontaneity was the norm. Between friends passing through, neighbours from nearby villages dropping by, and lost hikers, it was not unusual to find 20 of us gathered around the table. Every meal was a party!

“With no electricity, we cooked over a wood-burning fire, and everyone took part in preparing the meals. We would source our ingredients locally, like the best peaches and tomatoes from a local farmer friend and goat’s cheese from a farmhouse on the mountain opposite our home. Memories from these summer days are deeply etched in my mind – the fragrant bread, peach-apricot jam bubbling away over the flames, honey from my great-grandfather’s hives, old hand-embroidered table linens, candlelight, crackling fi res, and all the dishes we made together, with their indelible aromas and flavours.

Related recipes:

Find more recipes from Héloïse Brion here.

Print Recipe

White truffle-flavoured zucchini tart

Looking for a light supper or an al fresco lunch? Then look no further than this delectable courgette tart by Héloïse Brion, as featured in her book Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Starter

Cuisine: French

Keyword: French vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian tart, Recipe with truffles

Servings: 6 People

Author: Héloïse Brion

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry rectangle or square, preferably all butter
• 3 tbsp 3 oz/80 g basil pesto
• 3 –4 zucchini courgettes and/or yellow squash
• 1 egg yolk beaten
• 1 handful pine nuts
• 1 ball burrata cheese about 8 oz/250 g
• 1 handful arugula rocket
• A few leaves of fresh basil
• Finely grated zest of 1 organic lemon
• 3½ oz 100 g shaved Parmesan
• 1 white truffle or a drizzle of white truffle oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the puff pastry on the baking sheet and spread with a thin layer of pesto, leaving a narrow border around the edges.
• Using a vegetable peeler, make long, thin ribbons of zucchini and/or yellow squash and arrange over the pesto.
• Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg yolk and sprinkle the tart with kosher salt and pepper.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden.
• Meanwhile, place a dry skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts, and toast lightly. Remove from the pan.
• Remove the tart from the oven, cut the burrata into pieces, and scatter over the top.
• Distribute the pine nuts, arugula, basil leaves, lemon zest, and Parmesan evenly over the tart.
• Finish it off with a few shavings of white truffle or a drizzle of white truffle oil and serve.

Extracted from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen: Relaxed French Entertaining by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2020)

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Photography © Christophe Roué

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