You can use this basic recipe, originally developed by Copia Senior Culinary Instructor Jill Hough for Bon Appetit magazine, year-round—mixing up the toppings depending on the season. This is a version we serve in the spring, when deliciously delicate spring vegetables are showing up in the produce section and at the farmers market.
The pastry and toppings can be prepared in advance, then quickly assembled right before cooking and serving. Or the whole tart can be made in advance and served room temperature. The thing to remember is that the cook time isn’t long enough to do much besides melt the cheese and heat the toppings. So whatever you put on the pastry should be either pre-cooked (roasted, blanched or sautéed) or something that you don’t mind eating relatively raw, like thinly sliced onions.
1 sheet (half of a 17.3-ounce package) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 1/4 cups grated Gruyère cheese (about 4 ounces), divided
1 1/2 to 2 cups diced mixed spring vegetables such as carrots, peas, fava beans, fennel, spring onions, baby artichokes, new potatoes or a combination, blanched or sautéed (except for the spring onions)
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, tarragon, fennel fronds or a combination
Line a baking sheet with parchment. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 10-inch square; transfer to the prepared sheet. Using a fork, pierce the pastry all over. Chill 20 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese on the pastry, leaving a 1-inch plain border. Arrange the vegetables and prosciutto on top, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake the tart until golden, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve warm or at room temperature.
Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved.
www.jillhough.com.