Rustic Vegetable Tarte from At Home in Provence
Appetizer · Carolyne Kauser-Abbott · Provencal Recipes · TasteAt Home in Provence by Jeany Cronk is a beautifully curated cookbook blending personal stories and cultural insights that capture her family’s journey from London to Provence to create a life around winemaking. Rich with photographs and local charm, it’s an inspiring read for anyone drawn to Provençal living. The recipes in the book focus on seasonal ingredients and easy-to-prepare dishes that are a delight to prepare for your friends and family. Author Jeany Cronk chose this recipe, Rustic Vegetable Tarte, to help you bring the flavours of Provence to your table.
Rustic Vegetable Tarte
The rustic, savoury, free-form galette seems to have gained more popularity across the pond than it has in its actual country of origin. While the French are rather finicky with their pristine pastries – and as a result more likely to leave the expert pâtissier to it, rather than attempt them at home – the joy of the galette lies in its ease of shaping, allowing you to perfect the extra-flaky crust yourself. This makes a large tart perfect for feeding a crowd as a nibble or picnic dish.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 200 g all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar superfine sugar
- 225 g salted butter very cold, cubed
- 75 ml ice water
For the topping:
- knob salted butter
- olive oil for cooking
- 5 onions thinly sliced
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1-2 small eggplants (aubergine) thinner ones are better for this, sliced into 7 mm rounds
- 4-5 tomatoes
- salt
- basil leaves thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the pastry:
- Put the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and add the cubed butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it is roughly distributed (don’t worry about chunkier bits of butter, they add to the flakiness).
- Add the cold water gently, shuffling it around with your fingers but not kneading it. Tip the mixture out onto a clean and lightly floured work surface, then gently but firmly press the dough together until it forms a very rough ball.
- Use a floured rolling pin to roll it out to a rectangle (don’t worry if it’s still rough), then fold it in thirds. Roll it out the other way and repeat. Do this twice more, then roll out to a 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8 in) rectangle on a piece of baking parchment and place on a tray or cutting board in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the topping:
- Heat the butter and a good glug of oil in a wide frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, then once the butter is foaming, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt.
- Cook for 15–20 minutes, partly covered, stirring every so often. Once the onions are soft and sticky (you don’t want them too coloured), remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Assemble the tarte:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F).
- Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll it out to about 5 mm (¼ in) thick.
- Slightly trim the edges and fold the over a little to create a thicker edge, holding in the vegetables. Spread the mustard over the pastry leaving a 3 cm (1¼ in) border around the edge. Spread the onions out as evenly as possible on top, then layer on the aubergine and tomato slices, half overlapping. Brush lightly with oil and season with salt.
- Bake in the oven for 30–40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the vegetables are soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then top with basil leaves.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Extracted from At Home in Provence by Jeany Cronk (Quadrille, £27), Photography by Lizzie Mayson and Sophie Bellard.
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