It's all in the crust
I absolutely adore to bake tarts (both sweet or savoury) for my little family. I find that its such versatile fare you could use any time of the day; Sausage & Leek tart for a quick midweek dinner, Bacon & Egg Tart for a slow Sunday breakfast, or a tangy sweet Lemon Curd tart to entertain family and friends.
I always use one of my many round shape
flan tins as I love the appearance of the raffled pastry once removed after baking. However, there have been a few times when my pastry has baked unevenly leaving patches of sogginess!
So when I received my new
Mastercraft Crusty Bake Loose Base Round Flan/Quiche Pan 23cm I was immediately excited as it has perforated holes which allows for better air circulation when in the oven resulting in a crisper crust! Farewell to soggy pastry bottoms!
The perforated holes within the Mastercraft Crispy Flan/Quiche pan allows moisture to escape when baking for the crispiest results
My recipe for a Spinach, Egg & Bacon Tart with Capsicum Tapenade worked a treat in my new Mastercraft Loose Base Flan tin! The crust was evenly crispy all around, just as
Mastercraft said it would be! In addition, its solid heavy-duty steel construction reassures me of its longevity! Did I mention it has a Quantum2 double layer non-stick coating? Well, it does, and that means your tart will rise out as one whole glorious tart! Happy (baking) days!!!!
This tart recipe is great for a slow breakfast on the weekend, or a lovely midweek meal. Serve with a light salad of Iceberg lettuce, Spanish onion, and cucumbers drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt & pepper.
Mastercraft is an award winning bakeware brand designed in the UK, famous for their Crusty Bake line of perforated pans that allow for the crispiest baking results. Click here to view the entire range
Spinach, Egg & Bacon Tart with Capsicum Tapenade
Ingredients:
Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
- 225g Plain Flour
- 100g Butter, cold, cut into cubes
- Grated rind of 1 Lemon
- Good pinch of salt and black pepper
- 3 to 4 tbsp. of Iced Water
Filling
- 1 Garlic clove, peeled, crushed
- 1 bunch Silverbeet/Spinach, stems removed, leaves washed and drained
- 300g Ricotta
- 100g Bacon, cut into cubes
- 4 Eggs, whole
Capsicum Tapenade
- 2 medium Red Capsicum, roasted, peeled, core and seeds removed
- 1 Garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
Method:
To make the pastry: In a food processor, blitz the flour, lemon rind, butter, salt & pepper until it forms like breadcrumbs. Then add 3 tbsp. of cold water and blitz till it begins to form a dough. If dry and not forming as a dough, place in the additional tbsp. of cold water. Turn out onto a very lightly floured surface and lightly form into a round disc, wrap in cling and rest in fridge for 30 minutes.
To make capsicum tapenade: Preheat oven to 200°C. Place capsicums on a baking dish or tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Heat in the hot oven for about 30 minutes or until skin blackens and blisters. Remove and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove core and seeds. Place capsicum flesh in food processor with garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil and process to form a paste.
Roll out pastry: On a floured surface to a 35 cm circle with a 5 mm thickness. Line your
Mastercraft 23cm Loose Base Round Flan/Quiche Pan and then line the pastry with a sheet of baking paper and fill with baking beads/weights (or use rice). Place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Remove baking beads and paper, reduce oven to 180°c and bake pastry for a further 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Set aside.
Preparation of fillings: In a medium size fry-pan on medium heat, cook garlic and spinach with a tbsp. of olive oil for 2-3 minutes until spinach wilts. Transfer to a colander and allow to cool. Squeeze out excess liquid.
In the same pan, add a tsp of olive oil and lightly fry the pieces of bacon on medium heat until cooked - about 3 minutes. Remove cooked bacon onto a small plate lined with absorbent paper. Allow to cool.
Assemble: Place small mounds of cooked spinach in the pastry case, then add large spoonful’s of ricotta. Dot pieces of bacon in and around, and add dollops of capsicum tapenade randomly in between the fillings. Make 4 hollows in the filling and break an egg into each one (*see note). Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.
(*Note: if you like your egg yolk runny, separate the egg white from the yolk. Add the egg white into the hollows first and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until just turning white, then add in the yolk and season with salt and pepper. Bake for another 5 – 10 minutes or until egg whites & yolks are cooked to your liking).
To make capsicum tapenade: Preheat oven to 200°C. Place capsicums on a baking dish or tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Heat in the hot oven for about 30 minutes or until skin blackens and blisters. Remove and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove core and seeds. Place capsicum flesh in food processor with garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil and process to form a paste.
Roll out pastry: On a floured surface to a 35 cm circle with a 5 mm thickness. Line your Mastercraft 23cm Loose Base Round Flan/Quiche Pan and then line the pastry with a sheet of baking paper and fill with baking beads/weights (or use rice). Place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Remove baking beads and paper, reduce oven to 180°c and bake pastry for a further 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Set aside.
Assemble: Place small mounds of cooked spinach in the pastry case, then add large spoonful’s of ricotta. Dot pieces of bacon in and around, and add dollops of capsicum tapenade randomly in between the fillings. Make 4 hollows in the filling and break an egg into each one (*see note). Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.
(*Note: if you like your egg yolk runny, separate the egg white from the yolk. Add the egg white into the hollows first and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until just turning white, then add in the yolk and season with salt and pepper. Bake for another 5 – 10 minutes or until egg whites & yolks are cooked to your liking).
