Zucchini and Egg Tart With Fresh Herbs
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 5large eggs
- 1(14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2medium zucchini (6 to 7 ounces each), sliced lengthwise into 6 slabs, about ¼-inch-thick each
- 8scallions, trimmed
- 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ⅓cup crème fraîche or mascarpone
- 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ⅓cup frozen peas, thawed
- Any combination of fresh tarragon, small parsley or dill sprigs, and chopped chives, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
755 calories; 53 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 784 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Beat one egg in a small bowl for egg wash.
- Step 2
On an inverted baking sheet, unfold the puff pastry to lay it out flat. Cut the puff pastry into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, rolling out and trimming excess as needed. Slice a ¾-inch strip from the perimeter of the puff pastry from each of the four sides. Brush the remaining puff pastry with the egg wash then prick every few inches of the surface with a fork to prevent puffing. Place the pastry strips along the edge of all four sides to form a border that is raised like the edges of a picture frame, gently pressing to seal. Trim the excess and brush border with egg wash.
- Step 3
On a second baking sheet, gently toss the zucchini and scallions with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven (the sheet holding the puff pastry should still be inverted) and bake until vegetables are softened and pastry is puffed and golden, removing the vegetables after 10 minutes and the puff pastry after 20 to 25 minutes. Press the pastry’s puffed center gently with your fingertips to deflate.
- Step 4
Stir the crème fraîche, mustard and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Working within the border, brush the mixture over the pastry. Halve the zucchini crosswise at an angle. Arrange the zucchini and scallions on the surface of the pastry, draping the zucchini on its side and reinforcing with the scallions to create four circular nests to hold the eggs.
- Step 5
Crack each of the remaining four eggs into a small cup then transfer to a nest in the puff pastry. In a small bowl, toss the peas with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Avoiding the eggs, sprinkle the tart with the peas. Bake until the egg whites are opaque and custardy and yolks are still runny, about 20 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and top with torn fresh herbs. Cut the tart into quarters and serve immediately.
- If you are preparing the tart in advance, cover with aluminum foil after Step 4 and refrigerate up to 24 hours until use.
Private Notes
Comments
Looks delicious, concept good, but really poor execution all around. Next time I will bake the pastry to make a tart shell. While the pastry bakes, sauté zucchini and peas with herbs and scallions till slightly browned. Then assemble tarts. First, coat pastry shells with creme fresh or marscapone. Next cover with vegetable mixture, creating a nest to hold the egg. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, bake filled tarts until eggs are firm but soft.
The puff pastry -- one whole package?! Or one sheet from a package? It feels impossible that a single tart requires 14oz of pastry...
You can cook the puff pastry and vegetables ahead of time, assemble and chill, then plop the eggs into their nooks just before baking. If you’d like, lose the mustard and crème fraîche and use mascarpone, garlicky Boursin cheese or even softened cream cheese instead. To serve a crowd, bypass the eggs; add some cooked asparagus, fennel or other seasonal vegetables; and drape with prosciutto or smoked salmon. Garnish with whatever herbs are kicking around in your crisper and fistfuls of barely dre
I would use asparagus instead is scallions next time. Could replace zucchini with sweet potato. Next time because I don’t like runny yellow — I would just use egg whites though the yellow looked pretty.
Delicious! The only substitute I made was using stone ground mustard instead of Dijon and the flavor was lovely. Next time I would pre bake for only 13 minutes. I did the pre-bake for 16 minutes and the boarders were too dark in my opinion. My mustard and mascarpone mixture was pretty stiff but the hot puff helped it to melt. The zucchini and scallion nests worked really well and the eggs cooked perfectly.
The directions for this recipe need improvement. For example, when rolling out the puff, how big should the puff be? More details on the scallions would be nice too. Despite needing better directions, this recipe was delicious!