This was a really pleasant surprise of a recipe – it’s buried at the end of the Ottolenghi cookbook in a place that I’d flicked past and unjustly ignored on my way to headline treats like orange polenta cake (nom) or hazelnut meringues (double nom). Having some cooked butternut in the fridge, and an obsession with poppyseeds on the brain (check out these poppyseed twists if you too share my passion), the idea suddenly clicked and so here it is, all gushing out to you, beloved readers.
I was a bit concerned initially that there was too much going on in this tart, but actually all the elements work together brilliantly. The crunchy poppy seeds in the pastry contrast with the soft interior, the sweet squash and carrot layers play off the cheese and there’s just enough creaminess to bind together the generous vegetable filling.
It’s a long recipe but you can make the individual elements separately and combine at the last minute: the carrot jam, roasted squash and the pastry case can all be made in advance.
A recommendation: make sure you use a really salty cheese here – one of those hard, punchy little goat cheeses would be perfect – I used a weakling mild fresh cheese and it just wasn’t salty enough to be a contrast to the sweet carrot and squash. Mum suggested feta and even something smelly and blue would work too. Originally the recipe was for mini tartlets but I’ve scaled it up here to one big size. It is filling and I suppose a bit autumnal in flavour – butternut and goats cheese, lots of starchy goodness – but we ate it happily in the Bahamian heat for lunch and I think you’d be very happy to find a slice in your picnic basket.
Butternut squash tart with carrots, poppyseeds and goat’s cheese
Makes one xcm / ” tart. Adapted from the Ottolenghi cookbook
Ingredients
- 230g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 25g poppy seeds
- 110g diced chilled butter
- 60ml milk
- 300g cooked butternut squash (it’s easiest to just cut into chunks and roast in a hot oven until soft)
- 180g peeled and grated carrots
- 35g caster sugar
- 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 150g salty hard goat’s cheese, feta or blue cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 120g cream – double or whipping
- 40g grated parmesan
- 2 tbsps chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
- If you need to cook the squash, get that underway first, roasting chunks in a hot oven until tender.
- Then make the poppyseed pastry: mix the flour with the poppyseeds and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Use the milk to form a dough and without overworking form into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill, preferably for a few hours.
- Preheat the oven to 170˚C.
- Next make the carrot jam: heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a pan. When hot add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop add the carrot too. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
- Add sugar, vinegar and orange juice to the pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and all is soft – I needed to add a little water to avoid scorching.
- Blind bake the tart tin: grease a xcm deep tart tin. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about 4mm and line the tin (miraculously I managed this without any patching, so believe me you’ll be fine). Scrunch up a sheet of baking parchment (this helps the baking beans get into the corners), fill with baking beans and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until beginning to get golden.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream, egg yolk and grated parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until the cream firms up to soft peaks and put in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the rest.
- Fill the tin: first the layer of carrot jam spread on the bottom. Then a layer of cooked butternut squash. Leave enough room for the cream and egg mixture. Finally pour over the cream mixture.
- Now fill the tin: first goes the carrot jam, then a layer of butternut squash, leaving room for the cream mixture which gets spooned over the top. Finally crumble over your chosen cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the filling is set and coloured golden in places.
Preparation time: 2 hour(s)
Cooking time: 55 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 8
2 Comments on "Butternut tart with poppyseed pastry and carrot jam"
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it today and it is fantastic. On your recommendation, I used a decent strong goat’s cheese and the flavours were great together. Got a ‘wow’ from hubby! I divided the recipe in half and we ate the lot between the two of us for supper! I did find I needed to add quite a lot of water to the carrot jam, so thanks for the tip. Got any more savoury recipes from this book to share?! I have Plenty, which I love, but not this earlier book. Great blog. Thank you.
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you tried this recipe out! It was one of those lurkers at the back of the book but the carrot jam alone makes it a winner (any time I get to eat jam for a main course is cool with me). I’ve tried quite a few of the other recipes but only blogged these olive oil and paprika crackers, lazy person that I am. You should definitely pick up a copy if you like Plenty though, lots of gorgeous ideas for meat and fish as well as yummy baking stuff (there’s quite a lot of sweet stuff on this site, funnily enough…)