Roast squash, caramelized onion and goat cheese tart
POSTED ON November 1, 2009
tart
The last week was busy with impromptu, late night birthday celebrations and somehow in the midst of it all I made this tart to serve with some celebratory drinks. My tart is perfect for casual entertaining as it is best served room temperature and makes a nice change from the usual cocktail snacks. I picked up the gorgeous fresh goat cheese in the photo below from my favorite cheese shop, Saxelby cheese mongers in the Essex street market. Anne Saxelby sells an inspiring selection of carefully sourced, local dairy products and some of the best local cheeses you can find. I was dreaming of eating the cheese with roasted squash and arugula (a common Australian combination), so I made a buttery oatmeal crust to deliver it in and added caramelized onions and fresh thyme. What is unique about this tart is that there is no egg custard binding the filling together and with the addition of some extra caramelized onions, it could easily be dairy free.
thyme and fresh goat cheese
pressing crust
tart pre-oven
tart and arugula
Roast squash, caramelized onion and goat cheese tart
Crust
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole spelt flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or melted butter ( I used a combination)
2-3 tablespoons soymilk or filtered water (milk would also be fine)
Filling
2 large red onions, sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 large butternut or red kuri squash, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, peeled and seeded
fresh black pepper
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
1/4 pound fresh goat cheese
arugula to serve
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pulse oats in a food processor until coarsely ground, place in a bowl with flour, salt and baking powder, mix well. Melt butter (if using) in a small sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil and brush a little into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pour the rest into oat-flour mixture. Mix with a folk until all the butter and oil is combined, drizzle in soy milk (or water) and mix until pastry holds together, it shouldn’t be too wet. Press crust into tart pan and pre-bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
Place onions and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a wide skillet or frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and cook until caramelized, this takes a good 30 minutes, if they begin to stick turn heat down a little. Stir in a large pinch of sea salt and the balsamic vinegar, cook another few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Cut squash into 3/4 inches chunks, spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with remaining olive oil, a large pinch of sea salt and pepper, toss well. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl combine caramelized onions, roasted squash and thyme leaves.
Crumble half of the goat cheese into the bowl and gently toss. Crumble remaining goat cheese over the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell, top with squash mixture and return to oven for another 20 minutes until goat cheese is golden and slightly melted. Allow to cool before serving.
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Now Amy—-This is not fair. Not only do I miss celebrating your’s and Bonnie’s birthdays,but now I have to drool over this incredible tart. Yummmm.
Thanks B, we missed you too Bill, if come over I’ll make you one!
Yes Bill… It was droolable. Totally delicious!! I went back for a second slice, to find the plate empty.
Amy, you out did yourself with this one!
Sounds amazing! Hope you had a great birthday!
Wow. This looks so good.
I am heading to the food coop today and will pick up the ingredients and make it tonight!
What qualifies as “fresh” goat cheese? Is it unpasteurized/raw or just made recently?
Love-love the blog. Your simple brown rice recipe has changed my life! I never knew about sweet rice and it makes all the difference.
Fresh goat cheese isn’t aged at all and best eaten within a week or so, I haven’t seen it raw. It has the texture of ricotta and is delicious when locally made.
So happy to hear that you like coconut and Quinoa and love brown rice! Please visit again.
This recipe looks so incredible that I’m motivated to make it for guests this weekend! I love that most of the ingredients are pantry items, and I just picked up squash at the farmers’ market. Will let you know how it turns out, and thanks!
Please do let me know!
Do you think it would do any harm to cook the onions and squash a day ahead and store separately in the fridge?
Absolutely not, great idea!
please make this for me? where do you live? I’m on my way…
There are a few things I wouldn’t mind you making me! Let me know if your ever in New York….
Wow! I just discovered your blog and so many of your recipes seem right up my alley. I can’t wait to try this one! *drool* 🙂
So glad you found it! Hope you enjoy cooking the recipes and visit again.
All best,
Amy.
I made this yesterday for my “test kitchen” (ie. my bookclub). It was absolutely wonderful! Do you mind if I repost your recipe with a link to your site?? I had several people ask for it last night.
My photos were nowhere near as gorgeous as yours, but hopefully with a link to your pix, people will still be suitably inspired to make this!
Will be trying your spelt waffle recipe tomorrow…
I made this tart last night and couldn’t get the crust right. However, the end result was absolutely delicious and satisfying. My 13 year old daughter was a little hesitant in trying a peice since she really doesn’t care much for butternut squash yet when blended with the caramelized onions and goat cheese, it was a match made in heaven….yum!
Made this last night, spectacularly delicious and beautiful, but mine fell apart after cutting it. I did slightly different ingredients…my poor husband was craving some meat so I did some local spicy Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, your delicious onions, fresh basil and goat cheese. The taste was dead on and the crust was perfect, but the filling fell apart. Can I add something to bind it or did I layer wrong? As we head into fall, I’ll definitely do it again with the squash but any suggestions?
Yes I think it works because the vegetables are large-ish and the tart isn’t too high…otherwise it would be crumbly.
You could beat an egg with some milk or goat cheese and mix that through…..before baking.
Or use less filling.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this a few nights ago. I substituted coconut oil for the butter in the crust which worked, though I think would be better for a sweeter tart rather than a savoury. Overall, it was really good and will be making this again!