The fruity taste of Provençal vegetables brightens these delicious tartlets with authentic flavors. A colorful, fresh, and delicious starter, which pairs well with the apricot and yellow peach notes of the Minuty Prestige rosé, Vintage 2024. Don't be put off by the preparation of this simple recipe, which only requires a little patience and attention to detail.
Ingredients for 6 tartlets:
For the dough:
- 250 g of flour
- 125 g of cold semi-salted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 cl of water
- 2 tbsp. Provençal herbs
For the filling:
- 6 small tomatoes
- 2 small zucchinis
- 4 small red onions
- 250 g of ricotta
- 60g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil
- 15 fresh basil leaves
- 15 fresh mint leaves
- Salt and pepper from the mill
- Olive oil for cooking
Preparation steps:
1. Prepare the shortcrust pastry: In a bowl or food processor, combine the flour and butter cubes. Rub the mixture between your fingers or with the dough hook.
2. Make a well in the center, add the egg yolk, water, and herbes de Provence. Mix everything together, then form a ball. Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest in a cool place for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: thoroughly wash the zucchini and tomatoes, remove the stems. Peel the onions. Cut all the vegetables into even slices.
4. Line up the zucchini slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, brush them with olive oil and bake them under the grill for 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. After this time, remove them from the oven and set aside.
5. In a large skillet, cook the onion rings in a little olive oil over medium heat, until tender.
6. In another pan, cook the tomato slices in the same way.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll out the shortcrust pastry on your floured work surface to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut out 6 discs of dough using a cookie cutter about 12 cm in diameter (a bowl, for example).
8. In an oven preheated to 180°C (gas mark 6), place the dough discs on a cold baking sheet lined with baking paper. Prick them several times with a fork.
9. Bake for approximately 15 minutes: the pastry should be lightly golden and puffed up. When the tartlet bases are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.
10. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, chopped basil leaves, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil (depending on the desired consistency) with a fork. Add a little salt, a few turns of the pepper mill, and mix well.
11. Assemble the tartlets: cover the pastry discs with the ricotta mixture. Then arrange the vegetable slices, alternating between the zucchini, onions, and tomatoes.
12. When ready to serve, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with herbs.
The secret to a neat presentation
For a refined presentation, choose vegetables of similar size when shopping. When cooking vegetables, it's important to handle them carefully to keep the slices intact.
