Goat Cheese and Summer Vegetable Tarte Tatin

Tatin au chèvre et légumes d'été : instructions

• 1
  Slice the eggplants into 8–10 mm-thick rounds.
  Arrange them on a baking rack or parchment paper, brush with a little olive oil, and bake in a preheated oven (180°C) until tender (about 30 minutes).
  
• 2
  Bring a pot of water to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and submerge the tomatoes in the water for one minute.
  Peel them and cut them into quarters.
  Remove the seeds.
  
• 3
  Slice the bell peppers and the onion.
  
• 4
  Cook the tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion in a skillet for 10 minutes, using olive oil, of course.
  Let the liquid released by the vegetables evaporate completely.
  Start over high heat, then lower the heat as the vegetables release their liquid—they must not burn!
  Season with salt and pepper, and add the herbs.
  
• 5
  While the vegetables are cooking, dice the goat cheese into small cubes.
  Coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish thoroughly with oil (the goat cheese tends to stick to the bottom of the dish).
  Scatter a few spoonfuls of goat cheese over the bottom and make sure they are well coated with oil so they don’t stick.
  
• 6
  Arrange about half of the eggplant slices (the best ones!) to cover the bottom layer over the goat cheese.
  Add the remaining vegetables and press them down firmly. Then
  spread the remaining goat cheese over the top, followed by the remaining eggplant slices.
  Bake for about 10 minutes at 210°C.
  
• 7
  Roll out the dough and trim it to fit your pan if it’s smaller than the dough.
  To do this, fold the dough over itself, trying to keep it round, then roll it out with a rolling pin to the right size.
  
  The Chef's Tip

  Feel free to use flour to help, but always shake off any excess flour before folding the dough.
  
• Final cooking
  • 8
    Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C.
    Place the puff pastry on top, tuck in the edges, and gently press down to even out the thickness of the pastry.
    
    The Chef's Tip

    To prevent the pastry from rising too much, pierce a small hole in the center with the tip of a knife. You can also make pretty designs on the pastry to decorate it.
    
  • 9
    In a bowl, whisk together an egg yolk with a little water, then brush the dough with this mixture.
    This will give it a nice golden color without the egg yolk burning during baking!
    Return it to the oven until the dough is fully cooked (about 20 minutes).
    
  • 10
    If you want to serve this tart as a tarte tatin, you’ll need to use a plate that’s the same diameter as your pan, and place it on top of the crust without crushing it, of course.
    Place one hand under the pan and the other on the plate, and gently flip the whole thing over. If the tart hasn’t stuck too much, it should now be resting on your plate, with the golden filling on top!
    
  • 11
    Enjoy this summer vegetable tarte tatin warm or cold—it’s delicious either way!