I got this recipe from an Ellie Krieger (Food Network star) cookbook called The Food You Crave. I added the garlic and yellow pepper and upped the cheese. The crust recipe is the original. I had a 10 1/2-inch tart pan, so I increased the crust by half. Next time I’ll add fresh herbs, perhaps thyme, for even better flavor. I also used slightly more vegetables then she called for. A time-saving tip would be to roast the vegetables ahead of time.
Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart
For the crust:
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. canola oil
3 tbsp. water
For the filling:
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cooking spray
1 small eggplant (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
1 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
1 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 medium ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup. shredded part-skim mozzarella (I used 2 cups, which is an 8-oz. package)
1/4 cup. shredded fresh basil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I doubled this)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make crust, combine the cornmeal, flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove from processor and press into the bottom and about 1/8 inch up sides of a 9-inch tart (or quiche) pan with a removable rim.
Press aluminum foil into the bottom and up the sides of the pan on top of the dough. Weight it with uncooked rice, uncooked beans or pie weights. (Don’t try to use rice or beans used this way in meals. Keep them in a jar to use as weights again.) Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for another 5 minutes (I think skipping the additional 5 minutes is fine). Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 400.
To prepare filling, heat 1 tsp. of the oil in a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook shallots, stirring, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, adding garlic for the last minute.
Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant, zucchini, pepper and tomato slices on the sheets in single layer (it took me three sheets) and brush with remaining 2 tbsp. oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature back to 350. Lay eggplant slices on bottom of tart, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle one-third of the mozzarella and some of the basil over it. Layer zucchini and sprinkle with shallots, one-third cheese and more basil. Top with tomatoes, then the rest of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan.
Bake until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, remove rim and cut into servings (Krieger suggested eighths, but those are pretty small servings). Serve warm.
It’s pretty, tasty, and good for you if you don’t go crazy with the cheese.
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