Have I mentioned that I love pastry? This tart is my latest obsession because it includes so many of my favourite things … artichokes, bacon, eggs & ricotta. Oh my lord, it’s so good. I’ve made a wholemeal spelt pastry for this recipe, but of course, you can substitute with bought shortcrust if you prefer. I would honestly have a slice of this over a block of chocolate, any day. And if I’m really honest, it’s probably more than one slice. Karen x
SERVES 8
PREP 20 MIN
COOK 45 MIN
What you’ll need:
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup (130g) peas
300g bacon, diced
4 eggs
1 cup (250ml) cream
300g artichoke hearts in oil, drained & halved
100g ricotta
Pea shoots, to serve
Sea salt & black pepper
Spelt Crust
250g wholemeal spelt flour
¼ tsp salt
150g cold unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup (60ml) cold water
What to do:
Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blend until butter is the size of peas. Add water and pulse again until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a floured bench and roll out to 3mm thick. Line a 24cm tart tin with the pastry, leaving 1.5cm of pastry overhanging. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, blanch peas in boiling water for 2 minutes until tender. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again. Reserve 1 tablespoon of peas for serving, then set aside.
Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add bacon and sauté for 5-8 minutes until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside ¼ cup bacon for serving.
Preheat oven to 180°C Fan.
Line the pastry with baking paper and baking weights. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking paper and weights. Bake again for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden and crisp. Remove from oven.
Reduce oven to 160°C Fan.
Whisk eggs with cream and season with salt and pepper. Set aside 3 pieces of artichoke to serve, then arrange remaining evenly in tart case. Scatter over half the peas and bacon then pour over egg mixture. Scatter with remaining peas and bacon and dollop in ricotta. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Cool to room temperature and trim excess pastry with a thin sharp knife. Serve topped with pea shoots, remaining artichokes and crispy bacon.
