How to make a savoury and crispy summer tart

If it’s time to put the beefy pies aside then how about a pastry-light affair with with squash blossoms

Fresh and funky: no need to work flat out in the gym after one of these (Julia Platt Leonard)

Two squash blossoms: that’s the sum total of my courgette harvest so far this year. And to be honest, I’m not holding out a lot of hope. Wet weather brought on a slug invasion of apocalyptic proportions so I’m going to treat these two like royalty.

Also known as ‘zucchini flowers’, the pair will join tomatoes and pesto for a summer tart. Tomatoes scream summer but they can be watery and mushy pastry is not what you want. So I spread a bit of pesto on the uncooked pastry and place the sliced tomatoes on kitchen roll first to absorb some of the liquid. A very hot oven helps to crisp the pastry up nicely and some grated parmesan – optional – is a nice finish.

Another favourite tart topping is fennel slices and tapenade. I use a mandoline to get incredibly thin shavings, roast these first so they’re softer and slightly caramelised, then the whole tart goes into a hot oven. Both tarts are nice sliced into small squares as a nibble at a drinks party but they’re great served up in larger sizes with a green salad for a casual summer lunch or relaxed dinner.

By all means, make your own pastry but I find ready rolled to be a lifesaver and handy to have in the freezer. I can use the time saved for a quick snail and slug patrol and to see if maybe – just maybe – I’ll nab a courgette before they do.

Hey pesto: cannot go wrong with ‘zucchini flowers’, toms and and light pastry (Julia Platt Leonard)

Savoury summer tarts

Makes two tarts

2 x 320g ready rolled short crust pastry
450g tomatoes
2 or more squash blossoms
2-3 tbsp pesto
1 fennel bulb, around 150-200g
2-3 tbsp black olive tapenade
Olive oil 
Salt and pepper
Grated parmesan (optional)
Red chilli pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 220C. For the fennel amd tapenade tart, remove any fennel fronds and set them aside to garnish the tart later. Shave the fennel bulb into thin slices, around 3mm thick. Place on a baking sheet lined with a non-stick liner. Brush the slices on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the hot oven for 5-10 until the slices begin to soften and brown slightly. Remove from the oven and cool.

Gently unroll the pastry and place it on a baking sheet with a non-stick liner. Spread the tapenade on the pastry, leaving a small 1½ cm border along all four edges. Place the fennel slices on top. Crimp the edges of the pastry using the tines of a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the pastry is cooked through.

For the tomato, pesto and squash blossom tart, slice the tomatoes thinly and place in a single layer of paper towel. This will absorb some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Gently unroll the pastry and place it on a baking sheet with a non-stick liner. Spread the pesto onto the pastry, leaving a small 1½ cm border along all four edges. Place the tomato slices on top and season with salt and pepper. Slice the squash blossoms into pieces and place on top. Lightly brush the blossoms with a bit of olive oil. Crimp the edges of the pastry using the tines of a fork.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the pastry is cooked through. Slice the tarts while they’re warm, sprinkle on some grated parmesan and red chilli flakes (if using), top the fennel and tapenade tart with any fennel fronds and serve.

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