Autumn Sun Tart

I love savory tarts; they have always seemed very versatile and perfect to serve as dinner, a starter, or even as an appetizer. Besides, it’s a preparation that allows us to have it ready in advance and just serve it when needed. I was looking for some new ideas to make savory tarts when I came across a sun-shaped tart on the blog Saines Gourmandises. I found it absolutely beautiful, so I had to adapt it to bring you this Autumn Sun Tart.

We are in a time of year when we can enjoy a lot of fantastic ingredients, and I tried to use some of them for today's recipe. In addition to others like rye, oregano, watercress... to give it a rustic and very aromatic touch.

The base of our tart will be very simple

To make it we'll only need to mix the ingredients and roll out the dough. No rising or resting, a truly easy-to-make base with a surprising result. Among the ingredients you'll find rye flour, I know some of you aren't big fans of this grain. For those who don't like it or can't find it easily, you can replace it with whole wheat flour, spelt... Whatever you prefer.

Then we'll add flavor with a watercress, dill and peanut pesto. I assure you it's absolutely addictive; you could almost eat it by the spoonful! I use it on pizzas, savory tart bases, sandwiches, burgers, vegetable toasts... It goes great with lots of ingredients. Like the base, making a pesto is very easy.

We just need to put all the ingredients in our KitchenAid chopper, process and ready. To keep it in perfect condition I recommend storing it in a glass airtight container, covering the surface with olive oil and refrigerated. That way we prevent the top from drying out or spoiling.

Ingredients for the Autumn Sun Tart

Of course, all ingredients can be substituted with others you prefer in case any are not to your taste. In my case I used zucchini, pumpkin and onion. We'll sauté them with a little olive oil before placing them on the tart to prevent them from releasing excess water during baking.

Then we'll decorate with almond flakes, fresh dill, rosemary, some shavings of Parmesan, almond oil and white truffle salt. The combination is very aromatic, very autumnal and very addictive!

Perforated Buyer baking tray and Laura Ashley serving paddle

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 90 g whole rye flour
• 110 g bread flour
• 100 g water
• 12 g white wine
• 15 g olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the watercress and dill pesto:

• 60 g watercress
• 25 g fresh dill
• 125 g olive oil
• 100 g Parmesan
• 75 g roasted peanuts
• 1 large garlic clove
• Salt to taste

For the filling:

• 1 zucchini, about 500 g
• 1 large onion
• 150 g pumpkin sliced thinly
• 5 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons
• Salt and black pepper to taste

To decorate:

• Sliced almonds
• 3-4 teaspoons of almond oil
• Parmesan shavings
• Fresh and dried dill
• Dried rosemary
• White truffle salt

Method

Make the watercress and dill pesto

1. Wash the watercress and dill with cold water, dry carefully. Remove the thick dill stems and keep only the leaves.
2. In the KitchenAid food processor add the watercress along with the dill and the oil. Process well until you obtain an intense green paste.
3. Add the peanuts together with the Parmesan and the garlic. Process again until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
4. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
5. Pour the mixture into a airtight container, cover with olive oil and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sauté the vegetables

1. Wash the zucchini very well, dry and cut into very thin slices. Set aside.
2. Dice the onion, set aside.
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the onion.
4. Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat. You will see it become tender and translucent.
5. Add the zucchini together with the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it acquires a slightly tender texture. This will take about 10-12 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir.
7. Remove from heat, transfer to a dish and let cool slightly.
8. In that same pan pour the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the pumpkin sliced into rounds. Sauté until it takes on a light golden color and the texture is slightly tender. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Prepare the dough

1. In the bowl of the KitchenAid or of our stand mixer, add the flours along with the water, white wine, oil, oregano and salt.
2. Mix using the hook at speed 1 until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
3. Turn out onto a clean work surface and work a little with your hands.
4. Form a disk and roll it out with a rolling pin between two sheets of Teflon or baking paper. Aim for a diameter of 25 cm, approximately.

Cut the dough

1. Place a plate or a large bowl over the dough and, using a fluted cutter for pasta, make a circle. Remove the excess dough.
2. Transfer the dough disk with the baking paper onto a perforated baking tray.
3. Now we will make the central cuts that will give the sun or flower appearance. Using a ruler and a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, make 4 cuts of 10 cm in length that will form a star.

Perforated Buyer baking tray and carbon steel knife with beech handle

Fill and bake

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC with top and bottom heat.
2. Spread a thin layer of dill pesto on the base.
3. Arrange the sautéed zucchini, onions and pumpkin over the entire surface.
4. Decorate with Parmesan shavings, dill and dried rosemary, and sliced almonds.
5. Fold the dough points over the filling and bake for 40 minutes. You will see the dough take on a light golden color.
6. Remove and let cool for a few minutes on a rack.

Serve

1. Place on a plate, platter or board where you will present it.
2. Drizzle the vegetables with a little almond oil, sprinkle a bit of truffle salt and decorate with some fresh dill leaves.
3. If you have squash blossoms, you can decorate with them. And if you dare to stuff them, they will wow everyone!
4. Serve.

carbon steel knife with beech handle and KitchenAid P2 food chopper

Notes

• Can the dough be made without rye flour? Yes, it can. You will just need to omit it and use more bread or whole wheat flour instead. But I recommend using it because the flavor is fantastic.
• Rye flour makes doughs sticky to the touch. So this texture when kneading is completely normal.
• The pesto can be the variety I share or any other, even the traditional one made only with basil and pine nuts. I leave it entirely up to you, although the touch of watercress and dill goes perfectly with the other ingredients.
• When you cut the tart, if the dough is hard to handle or soft, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.
• The pesto base should be very thin, just to add a little flavor.
• Nuts and aromatic herbs can be adjusted to your tastes.
• We can keep it for 1-2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Although I recommend eating it the same day it’s made; that’s when it will have the best flavor and texture.

This Autumn Sun Tart was a real hit at our dinner with friends last week. I prepared two and we served them with a cheese and charcuterie board, several types of hummus with naan bread, pickles and a few other things. They loved it and I was able to have everything prepared in advance.