Ratatouille Tart with a Garlic Thyme Crust

How do you say no to beautiful bright vegetables?! You simply can't...

This dish not only reminds me of the amazing Disney movie, but also the flavors of my grandmother's ratatouille that I decided to incorporate into this dish.

I wanted to take a classic french dish, and take it to the next level by elevating the dish. Traditionally, ratatouille is served using an array of vegetables and topped off with a tomato sauce. I decided to bake the ratatouille into a tart with not just any crust, but a tart with a buttery garlic thyme crust.

This amazing crust is filled with flavors that complement the vegetables, making this ratatouille tart a medley of savory flavors.

The tart is perfect as a main dish, an appetizer, or even a snack throughout your day.

Ratatouille instantly popped into my head when I saw these bright and beautiful vegetables at the farmers market, never say no to beautiful veggies.

Instead of the simple tomato sauce that traditionally accompanies ratatouille, I decided to use a tomato bechamel, basically a creamy tomato sauce, packed with flavors to compliment this dish.

Please keep in mind that the recipe below is what I used to make a 9-inch tart and four 3-inch tartlets (and that is a lot of food, like a lot) so feel free to modify it by adjusting the ingredients.

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Ratatouille Tart with a Garlic Thyme Crust

yields: serves 10 prep time: 30 minutes cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 18 tblsp. unsalted butter, cold and diced

• 4 tblsp. fresh thyme (2 tblsp. dried)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 8 lbs choice of vegetables, sliced thin (zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, tomatoes)

• 2 tblsp. unsalted butter

• 2 tblsp. all purpose flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 2 large roma tomatoes

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. For the dough- pulse the flour with the cold and diced butter then add thyme, garlic, and 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Pulse until pieces of butter in the mixture are the size of piece, proceed to add about 6 tblsp. of water to combine. Shape dough into a disk and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375, then press dough into pans and bake until crust feels dry, about 20 minutes. Then, let your tart cool at room temperature while you prepare the filling.

3. For the tomato bechamel- in a saucepan, make a roux by melting butter and mixing in the flour. Then add in the milk, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roughly chip the tomatoes and when the roux thickens, pulse it all together.

4. Toss your sliced vegetables with some olive oil and salt and pepper, then layer into the baked tart shells, top off with some of the tomato bechamel (or fill the bottom of the tarts with the bechamel and serve the rest on the side.)

5. Bake the tart for another 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the vegetables are cooked through.

6. Serve the tarts hot, topped with some of the tomato bechamel. Voilà, bon appétit!

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What a great twist on a classic dish, bon appétit!

xoxo

Oliver

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