13 vegetable tart recipes to celebrate the beginning of spring

How does fresh slice of asparagus and mozzarella phyllo tart or chunky slice of roasted baby marrows, cauliflower, patty pans, mushroom tart sound? Simply select your favourite veggie fillings and let the recipe do the rest.

Follow these 3 steps for a crispy, light as air and perfectly puff-pastry crust:
• Go for the slow thaw. Let your frozen pastry thaw overnight in the fridge. This ensures that it will defrost evenly.
• Roll it slow, too. Be extra cautious with the seams and the centre as these crack easily.
• Put away the rolling pin. Food ed Abi never rolls out her puff pastry. She simply unrolls it after thawing, flattens it just a touch, and then cuts it to the desired size. This makes for a puffier crust.

Phyllo pastry is a little more finicky than puff pastry. Once defrosted, you’ll have to work quickly, so ensure that you’ve prepped all your other ingredients first. Onced thaw in the fridge, unroll the pastry, lay it flat and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Phyllo pastry needs to be kept moist as it dries out quickly – keep it covered with the towel when not in use. Cover each sheet with melted butter or oil using a soft-bristle brush as this prevents cracking.

Prefer to make your pastry from scratch? This shortcrust pastry recipe makes a great base for savoury quiches and tarts.

So fresh

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Love a good puff pastry tart? You’ll want to read these 27 reasons to have a roll of puff pastry in the freezer’.

If you prefer the ever-so fragile phyllo, try these 11 ways with phyllo pastry for more tips and tricks to master the perfect bake.

No time for homemade pastry? Don’t fret! Use Woolies’ readymade versions instead. Try frozen phyllo pastry, frozen all butter puff pastry sheets or frozen ready rolled puff pastry.

Discover more spring-time tart recipes here.