Ingredients

Method

• dressed green leaves, for serving
For the pastry
• 150 g flour
• ½ t salt
• 100 g butter
For the filling
• 2 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced
• 2-3 T olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 150 g blue cheese, crumbled
• 50 g pecan nuts or walnuts, broken
• 3 free-range eggs
• 250 g crème fraîche

Method

Ingredients

To make the pastry: Process together all the ingredients to form a dough. Pat into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick well. Chill or freeze while preparing the filling.
When ready to prepare, preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Bake the pastry-lined tin on a baking tray (in case of leakage) for 10 minutes, or until half set.

To make the filling and assemble the tart: Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC. Gently cook the sliced fennel in the heated oil until very soft.
Lightly season then spoon into the baked pastry shell. Top with the crumbled cheese and broken nuts.

Whisk the eggs with the crème fraîche, a pinch of salt and a twist or two of black pepper. Ladle into the pastry shell until the mixture reaches the rim – you may have some left over.
Bake for 30 minutes or until just set, golden and puffed. Serve warm with a small side salad of dressed green leaves.

For special occasions: As the tart comes out of the oven, top with torn prosciutto.

Per serving: 2587.9kJ, 12.2g protein, 53.1g fat, 26.9g carbs

TASTE’s take:
A quick pastry is the base of this substantial tart – a fine mid-week meal when served with a mug of soup to start  and fruit to finish.