February 3, Ratatat...

I had an eventful day and I am totally exhausted (protein deprivation maybe?), but I had time to make a Ratatouille tart for dinner.

Here's the recipe:

Ratatouille Tart
Serves 8; Serving Size: 1 wedge

Tart Shell:

* 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 Tbsp. butter, cold
* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 3 Tbsp. ice-cold water

Filling:

* 2 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1 medium sized eggplant, sliced thinly into rounds
* 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
* 3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence (optional)
* 3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

For the tart shell:

Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse until mixture resembles the size of small peas. Slowly add ice-cold water and pulse until mixture forms loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and weigh down with uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and rice (or beans) and return to oven to bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom turns opaque. Remove from oven and let cool. Leave the oven at 400˚F

For the filling:

Prepare 2 baking trays. Toss lightly, the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices with olive oil, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Arrange on the trays in a single layer and roast the vegetables for 15 minutes until soft but not browned. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.

While vegetables are in the oven, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; sauté shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar. Let it simmer and reduce to about half. Take off the heat and set aside.

Lower the oven temperature to 350˚F. Lay the vegetable slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; spread half of the shallot-balsamic reduction; then cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Repeat this process, until all vegetable and mozzarella cheese are used. Top with the grated Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables are nicely caramelized. Remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes.

To serve, gently slide a knife around the edges to release any pastry that might be sticking, then remove the bottom and place the tart on a serving plate. Cut into 8 wedges and serve warm.

Variation:

You can use yellow instead of green zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh (but reduce the portion to a quarter). You can also add roasted red peppers, yellow squash, or whatever is in season at your local market.

If you are lazy to make your own tart shell (as I sometimes am), you can use a store bought pastry dough and it'll turn out just as good.


Calories per serving: 232