Tarte Fine aux Courgettes (Puff Pastry Zucchini Tart)
A simple, flavorful savory tart for summer's freshest produce.
Here’s a wildly unpopular opinion for you: I’m kind of over pies. Sure I’ll eat an occasional slice when it’s offered to me or when a rare craving grabs me — I do find them fun to eat at least — but very few pies have ever really fulfilled all my sensory desires.
The main reason I am not a pie enthusiast is that to me the crust-to-filling ratio usually feels out of balance. I simply want more pastry and less filling in every bite, as I happen to be someone who would enjoy just as much (or more) crust than filling.
Primarily this ratio imbalance is the result of pie’s design, which favors fillings. There’s often another culprit of an imbalanced pie composition though, and that’s in the way the filling is prepared. For various reasons, pie fillings to me always seem cloyingly sweet or too intensely flavored in some other way, leaving no room for either the main ingredient in the filling, or the crust to truly shine. Too much sugar, tartness, fattiness, and/or spice (among other enhancements) can completely overwhelm a filling and quickly diminish a crust’s raison d’être.
That said, I am not here today to write unfavorably about pies. They do after all have their rightful, tasty place at the table. What I am here to declare is that the tarte fine (pronounced, “tart feen”), which translates literally from French as “thin tart”, is my ideal solution to my lackluster appetite for pies.
Whether it’s because of my French/Austrian heritage or because of the pastry-centric way I was raised (big thanks to my parents for that!), a tarte fine, like this classic apple (with a rye crust twist) version I developed for King Arthur, falls much more in line with my palate. The crust-to-filling (or topping in this case) ratio is just about 1:1, and the main ingredient can really take center stage.
For that reason, a tarte fine, whether sweet or savory, is at its best when its main ingredient is at its freshest and/or most flavorful. I can think of very few fruits or vegetables that wouldn’t work well on a tarte fine, though different produce will require different methods of preparation.
In this zucchini version I’ve baked up for you, the prep work is minimal, as are the ingredients that go into the topping. It’s also quite adaptable, so you should feel free to play around with the other toppings as much as you’d like. Yet another reason to fall in love with the tarte fine. And I hope that you do! Then maybe we could start a club.
Tarte Fine aux Courgettes (Puff Pastry Zucchini Tart)
Active time: 30 minutes Inactive time: 1 hour Baking time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours Yield: one 10” - 11” tart (4 servings) The tarte fine is truly one of the simplest pastries you could make, and yet the finished product is always stunningly flavorful. In this savory zucchini version, the ingredient list is short and the process unfussy. The whole wheat pastry and savory topping work really well together, but you could just as easily use frozen puff pastry for the crust (see the tip below). Regardless, you’ll be rewarded with the bright fresh flavors of summer before you know it. Ingredients Crust - 3/4 cup (90g) unbleached all-purpose flour - 3/4 cup (85g) whole wheat flour - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter - 1/3 cup (76g) ice water Topping - 1/2 pound (about 1 medium-large) zucchini - 2 tablespoons (30g) pesto - 2 tablespoons (10g) freshly grated parmesan - 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon); to taste - black pepper; to taste - olive oil, drizzled; to taste Garnish - burrata or fresh mozzarella or goat cheese, torn or crumbled; optional - fresh basil leaves, torn or sliced; optional Directions 1. To prepare the crust: Combine the two flours and salt in a medium bowl, stirring briefly to blend. 2. Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes and toss with the flour mixture. Using both hands, press the cubes between your thumb and fingers to create butter flakes. Toss again to evenly incorporate the flakes. 3. Drizzle about half the water into the bowl and use a flexible dough scraper or spatula to incorporate it. Add the remaining water, incorporating it in the same way until the dough just starts to come together. 4. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead it briefly to bring it together into a rough square. 5. Lightly dust the work surface underneath the dough with flour and roll the dough out into a rough-edged 6” x 12” rectangle. 6. Fold the dough like a business letter (fold about a third of one short end in towards the center then fold the opposite end/third on top) then turn it 90°. 7. Repeat the rolling out and folding process (steps 5 and 6) two more times before wrapping the dough and refrigerating it for at least 1 hour. 8. To make the tart: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. 9. Using a mandolin or a knife, slice the zucchini into 1/8"-thick coins. Set aside. 10. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 10 1/2” to 11 1/2” square. 11. Use an upside-down plate or bowl as a template to cut out a 10” to 11” circle. Gather the scraps, stacking them and rewrapping and refrigerating them to save for another use (see tips below). 12. Place the dough circle on the prepared baking sheet then use the tines of a fork to poke (dock) it all over, except for the outer 1/2" perimeter. 13. Spread the pesto onto the crust, leaving that 1/2" portion of the outer perimeter bare. 14. Lay the zucchini coins on top of the pesto, overlapping them slightly, in concentric circles. 15. Top the zucchini with an even sprinkle of parmesan, salt, and black pepper then drizzle over the olive oil. 16. Bake the tart until the edge and bottom are golden brown and the zucchini has shrunk and colored slightly, about 30 minutes. 17. Remove the tart from the oven, allow it to cool slightly, then transfer it to a serving plate. 18. Garnish the tart with any additional cheese and fresh basil, if desired before serving. 19. Refrigerate any leftover tart and reheat in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Tips: 1. For a quicker, easier way to make this tart, start with 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry and proceed with the recipe as instructed. 2. Leftover dough scraps can be used to make pastry crust cookies or another small tart/galette: — To make the cookies: Roll the scraps out to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness and cut out rounds or use cookie cutters to make other shapes. Prick the cookies with the tines of a fork several times then brush the tops with milk or egg wash (1 whole egg, yolk, or white mixed with a teaspoon of water) and sprinkle them with a little cinnamon sugar or sparkling sugar. Bake the cookies at 350°F until the edges and bottoms are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. — To make a small tart/galette: Roll the scraps into a 6” circle then fill the center 4” with the same topping combination or any sweet or savory filling you can dream up. Fold the edges of the tart in towards the center so that they cover the outer 1/2" to 1” of the filling. Bake the tart at 400°F until the edges and bottom are golden, about 25 minutes. 3. You can get really inventive with how you top your tart. Keeping it simple is key though, as you don’t want to overwhelm the crust with a lot of wet or heavy ingredients. I’ve enjoyed using different flavored pestos (onion top and carrot top are two that I’ve tried), and I’ve also tried adding a handful of halved cherry tomatoes for a little pop of color. Blue cheese would work in place of the burrata, mozzarella, or goat cheese, and you could use any freshly grated hard or semi-hard cheese in place of the parmesan. The options are truly limitless!
Happy tart baking! Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback and share the recipe if you know someone who would enjoy it.
Best,
Charlotte