A savory tart loaded with enough garlic to ward off the most stubborn of vampires. But no worries, caramelizing garlic brings out its natural sweetness and reduces its pungency. Hard goat cheese is not easy to find in the US, and after many trials and tarts, my best choice is to substitute hard goat cheese for Pecorino Romano. My advice, reduce the quantity by 1/3 as you don’t want the Pecorino to dominate the tart’s taste. Also, watch the saltiness. A great choice for a party, a light lunch or a picnic.
Yield: 8 slices
Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb (450 g) ready to use puff pastry
- 3 heads of garlic, separated and peeled
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup (115 g) creamy goat cheese
- 1/4 lb (115 g) hard goat cheese or 3 oz (85 g) pecorino cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) crème fraîche or sour cream
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
Roll out the puff pastry and line the bottom and sides of a 10 inch (24 cm) tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off excess pastry from the edges. Leave the pastry to rest in the refrigerator and prepare the filling in the meantime.
Bring enough water to cover garlic cloves to a boil in a small saucepan. Blanch garlic cloves for about 2-3 minutes. Drain them well.
Dry saucepan and add oil to it. Sauté garlic cloves over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Shake or stir constantly to avoid burning. Add the Balsamic vinegar and water to the garlic cloves. Bring it to a rapid boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer garlic gently for about 10 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, sugar. Continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated with dark caramel, about 10 minutes longer. Set aside to cool a bit.
Preheat the oven 375°F (190°C).
Start assembling the tart. Break both creamy and hard goat cheese or pecorino cheese into large crumbs and scatter them over the bottom of the pastry. Spoon the caramelized garlic cloves and any remaining syrup over the cheese.
In a bowl, beat eggs, crème fraîche or sour cream, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over the garlic-goat cheese filling. Bake garlic tart for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool a little before cutting.
Serve warm with a crispy salad.
