Quick Zucchini Tart

The zucchini plants in my garden didn’t do as well this year as they have in the past. This year has been much more damp and a little more mild, as far as Houston summers go, and they just didn’t seem to be as happy. Almost everything else in my garden has had a record year though, so it ends up balancing out.

I did have a hankering for zucchini the other day and I needed an excuse to use the puff pastry in my freezer.  After rooting around in my refrigerator I came up with this delicious and super easy tart.

Quick Zucchini Tart
Serves 3 – 4

1 frozen puff pastry
Olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 medium zucchini sliced into ribbons
1 egg

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and have to puff pastry thawed and ready to go. Line a rimed baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the puff pastry in the middle of the pan.
• In a small sauce pan warm about a Tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant and slightly softened. Add the herbs, you can really add whatever kind of herbs you like, these are what I had fresh on hand. Cook the herbs for just a minute and then add the cheeses. Stir the cheeses constantly until they are well combined and soft enough to spread easily.
• Take the cheese and herb mixture and spread it over the puff pastry leaving an inch border around the pastry. On top of the cheese, layer the ribbons of zucchini overlapping slightly. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and drizzle with a thin layer of olive oil.
• Take the egg and beat it in a small bowl, and then using a small brush, burst the inside edge of the pastry with the egg before folding the pastry up and over the edge of the tart by about half an inch. Then brush the outside of the pastry with some egg as well.
• Bake the tart in the over for about 20 minutes. The pastry should be lightly golden when done.  Let the tart sit for a few minutes before serving as it will be very hot.

Weekend Brunch: Cheesy Herb Waffles Florentine Style

Lazy Saturday mornings are one of my favorite things. Sean usually makes me coffee and eggs and we can both relax for a bit before starting our weekend to do lists. This morning breakfast was a combined effort and we made cheesy herb waffles with sautéed spinach and poached eggs. Delicious!

I have poached eggs before, but they have never turned out as pretty as they did on this day. I recently read an article about poaching eggs were they recommended putting some white vinegar in the tea cup with your egg and letting them sit for a few minutes before you cooked the egg. The vinegar helps the white of the egg stay together better. I also created a whirlpool in the pot of simmering water before I put the egg in the middle, which also helps to keep the egg together. After two minutes I had a beautiful egg, yumm!

Cheesy Herb Waffles with Sautéed Spinach and a Poached Egg

For the Waffles (Makes 4)

2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 scallions, whites and light green parts minced
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy and then stir in the oil. In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, herbs, scallions, and cheese. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just smooth and let sit for a while, or even overnight if you wish. When your ready preheat your waffle iron and make the waffles.

For the Spinach

1/2 tablespoon butter
A large container of fresh spinach
2 cloves of garlic minced

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add handfuls of spinach to the skillet and using tongs toss until the spinach starts to wilt and you can add more spinach. Keep doing this until almost all of the spinach in totally wilted. Add in the garlic and let cook for about a minute or two more. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Poached Egg

4 eggs
1 cup white vinegar

In four tea cups place 1/4 cup of vinegar each. Crack open one egg into each cup and let sit for about five minutes. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a simmer. When you’re ready stir the water to create a whirlpool and gently poor the vinegar and egg into the middle of the pot. Cook for two minutes and then scoop the egg out of the pot with a slotted spoon. Repeat for each of the other eggs.

Assemble the waffle, spinach and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Add extra cheese on top if you’d like and enjoy!