Squash-Beet Tart With Burrata & Fried Basil ~ Triple A-Salad

Triple A-Salad

Squash-Beet Tart with Burrata & Fried Basil

With the help of a couple of kitchen gadgets, you can put together this stunning vegetarian main. Get the look with a Frenchstyle rectangular tart pan for the tender pastry and create a pretty effect by slicing vegetables with a mandoline and then fanning them. Don’t fret if you don’t have a rectangular pan or mandoline, you can always improvise using a round tart pan and a very sharp knife for slicing. Serves 6

Ingredients:

Pastry:

Vegetable oil for greasing

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) salted butter, cubed

3 to 4 tbsp (45 to 60 mL) cold water

1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Filling

1 package (125 g) block cream cheese, cut into cubes, at room temperature

1 egg

6 basil leaves

Generous pinch salt

1/2 medium-size butternut squash, about 1 lb (455 g)

3 small beets, peeled

Garnish

6 tbsp (90 mL) olive oil
2 or 3 basil sprigs, washed and dried thoroughly
1 container (250 g) burrata                 
For the crust,                                                                             lightly oil a 7 x 11-inch (18 x 28-cm) rectangular tart pan with removable bottom. Place flour and salt in a food processor. Whirl until mixed. Add butter. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add water and lemon juice. Pulse until mixture begins to come together. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface angather into a ball.Flaky saly like Maldon.

Directions:                                                                                            Place dough in centre of prepared pan. Using the palm of your hand, press dough from middle of pan to edges. With your fingertips, press dough up sides of pan until dough is even with top of pan rim. For a more polished result, the pastry can be rolled into a rectangle and fitted into the prepared pan. Pastry won’t be very thick. Cover and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Or if making crust ahead of time, refrigerate overnight.A little while before baking the tart, whirl cream cheese, egg, 6 basil leaves and salt in a food processor until mixture is smooth and basil is flecked throughout.

Prepare basil garnish. To fry basil, heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add basil sprigs and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel–lined plate. Set the cooking oil aside for coating the vegetables later on.

When chilled crust is almost ready, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Prepare vegetables. Cut the top half from squash at about where it starts to curve out to the large part. Peel. Cut in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline and safety guard, thinly slice squash into paper thin half-moon slices. Next, use mandoline to slice beets. Arrange squash and beet slices over separate microwaveable plates. Brush lightly with some of the reserved garnish oil. Microwave each plate of vegetables 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pour and spread cream cheese mixture over base of chilled crust then arrange vegetable slices in three rows (two squash rows and one beet row) overtop. Brush with more of the reserved oil.

8. Bake in centre of oven on a baking sheet until vegetables ader and crust is lightly golden, about 45 minutes.

9. While tart is baking, to take the chill off the burrata, remove from fridge, drain and loosely cover while bringing to room temperature.
 
10. When tart is done, remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove from tart pan. Set on a platter or cutting board. Sprinkle with salt. Top with burrata. Drizzle with remaining reserved oil. Scatter fried basil overtop. Or slice tart, topping each serving with a piece of burrata, drizzling with oil and garnishing with fried basil. Sprinkle burrata with a little more salt. Serve with Triple-A Salad (recipe follows).   Serves 6

Triple-A Salad
Toss together an A+ salad with a combination of arugula coated in fresh, lemony dressing, Asiago (Parmesan’s creamier, nuttier cousin) and crunchy almonds. Look for tamari almonds in the bulk section of your local grocery store. They offer delicious flavour and allow you to skip the step of toasting the nuts.   Serves 6

Ingredients:
Dressing
1 large lemon
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp (45 mL) grapeseed or olive oil
Salad
1 pkg (142 g) baby arugula
1/2 cup (125 mL) shaved Asiago
1/2 cup (125 mL) toasted almonds, preferably tamari
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped chives
Directions:
Zest and juice lemon into a large bowl. You should have about 3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon mixture. Add honey, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil in a steady stream. Add arugula. Toss to coat. Divide between plates. Top with Asiago, almonds and chives.   Serves 6