This tart recipe is perfect for a casual dinner party, as all the work is done in advance. I usually have everything ready beforehand, as it takes a bit of time to prepare, then fire it into the oven just as our friends arrive. The smell of it baking is as much a part of the enjoyment as the eating of it.
Serves 8–10
Ingredients:
Spelt and Rye Pastry
– 200g white or wholegrain spelt flour, plus extra to dust
– ½ tsp fine sea salt
– 120g flavourless extra virgin coconut oil or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
– 100g rye flour
– 250g gluten-free flour mix
– ½ tsp fine sea salt
– ¼ tsp xanthan gum
– 120g flavourless coconut oil or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Tart
– 1 quantity of spelt and rye pastry
– 5 tbsp olive oil
– 5 onions, halved and thinly sliced
– 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
– 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 450g, halved and cut into 2cm wedges
– 3 eggs, beaten
– 200ml coconut milk or single cream
– 3 garlic cloves, crushed
– 1 tsp cumin seeds
– Small bunch of basil, chopped
– 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– Sea salt and pepper
– 24cm round or 35cm x 12cm rectangular tart tin
Method:
Spelt and Rye Pastry
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6.
2. Put the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the chilled coconut oil or butter and blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add 2½–3 tablespoons of water and bring the dough together with your hands until it is in a smooth ball.
4. If it is still crumbly, add in a few drops of water at a time, being careful not to overdo it.
5. Flatten the dough out into a disc, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, until chilled but still pliable.
6. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of floured cling film and line the tart tin called for in the recipe.
7. If you find the pastry too difficult to handle, simply press the pastry directly into the tin, making sure the base and sides are smooth and even with no cracks.
8. Cover and chill for 15 minutes, or 5 minutes in the freezer.
9. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork, line with baking parchment, fill with baking beans, and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the tart shell is dry and biscuity.
Tart
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a low–medium heat.
3. Add the onions and most of the thyme, and season with ½ teaspoon of sea salt and a grind of pepper.
4. Cook over a gentle heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and lightly caramelised. Take care not to burn the onions.
5. While the onions are cooking, make the spelt and rye tart shell according to the recipe***.
6. Meanwhile, toss the sweet potato wedges in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes, until just softened and golden. They will finish cooking with the tart later.
7. Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk or cream, two-thirds of the crushed garlic, the cumin seeds and most of the basil, and season well with salt and pepper.
8. Pour into the blind-baked pastry shell, top with the caramelised onions and pile over the sweet potato wedges.
9. Cover completely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10–15 minutes, until golden and set.
10. While the tart is in the oven, combine the remaining thyme, basil, crushed garlic, a pinch of sea salt and the extra virgin olive oil.
11. Drizzle over the tart when it is baked, and serve immediately.
