Carrot-zucchini tart – wortel-courgette taart (GF-SF)

Some recipes simmer in my head for quit a long time, they have to ripen, to form, from idea to substance. I love savory tarts, make them not too often, but always think about making a good crust, not to floury, or too fat or too sweet, etc.

Some months ago I bought a rectangular baking mold to make savory tarts with green asparagus or strips of colored veggies, but it landed in the cupboard, waiting for the right time.

Yesterday was the right time. After reading loads of information about gluten-free and other crusts, measures, temperatures, to pre or not pre-bake I decided to stop this non-doing but make up my mind and bake the damn thing.

So here it comes, my super yummy savory tart filled with carrots and zucchini, a soft touch of fresh and dried coriander, mixed with eggs and cheese to make an almost classic French quiche. I hope you like it, as we did.

Carrot-zucchini tart (3-6 pers)

rectangular mold 12x36cm

for the crust:

180 g blanched almond flour

2 g sea salt

4 g tartaric acid baking powder

60 ml olive oil

1 tbsp water

1tbsp blue poppy seeds

for the filling:

3 organic eggs

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

5 tbsp crème fraîche

Salt and pepper

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp ground coriander

200g grated carrots

200g grated zucchini

Pepper and salt

70 g hard goat’s cheese, grated

30 g grated Parmesan

Take the time to make this recipe; you can make the crust in advance.

Pre heat the oven on 180 ˚C.

Start making the crust by mixing all ingredients in a bowl and knead quickly by hand.

Fill the mold with the dough and push it out evenly with your hand and fingers. Bake 12 minutes in the oven till lightly golden. Set aside.

In the meantime you prepare the filling.

Prepare the egg filling by whisking the eggs, cilantro, crème fraîche with salt and pepper. Set aside too.

In a casserole heat some olive oil and softly bake the onion with the garlic for 3 minutes.

Stir in the coriander powder and thyme leaves and bake together for another minute.

Add grated carrots and stir and bake for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and bake together for 3 more minutes. Season with pepper and salt.

Let it cool slightly.

Put the oven on 200 ˚C.

When the vegetable mixture has cooled for about 10 minutes you add the egg mixture and then the cheeses, stir well.

Scoop the filling on top of the pre-baked crust and bake the tart in the middle of the hot oven for 25-30 minutes, till the smell are delicious and the top is golden brown.

Serve on top of a simple green salad with a nice dressing. A little acid accompanies well with the soft and smooth taste of the tart.

Wortel-courgette taart (3-6 pers)

Rechthoekige vorm 12-36cm

Voor de bodem:

180 g amandelmeel

2 g zeezout

4 g wijnsteenzuur bakpoeder

60 ml olijfolie

1 el water

1 el blauw maanzaad

Voor de vulling:

3 biologische eieren

2 el gehakte verse koriander

5 el crème fraîche

Zout en peper

1 kleine ui, fijngehakt

1 teentje knoflook, fijngehakt

1tl koriander poeder

1 el verse tijmblaadjes

200 g geraspte wortel

200g geraspte courgette

Zout en peper

70 g harde geitenkaas, geraspt

30 g fijngeraspte Parmezaan

Neem de tijd om deze heerlijke taart te maken. De bodem kun je al van tevoren maken.

Verwarm de oven voor op 180 ˚C.

Begin met het maken van de bodem door alle ingrediënten in en kom te mengen en snel tot een samenhangend deeg te kneden. Vul de vorm met het deeg en druk het met je hand en vingers gelijkmatig uit. Bak de bodem 12 minuten tot licht bruin. Zet apart.

Ondertussen maak je de vulling.

Te beginnen met het eimengsel. Kluts de eieren samen met de crème fraîche, koriander en wat zout en peper. Zet ook apart.

Verwarm dan wat olijfolie in een braadpan en bak hierin zacht de ui en knoflook ongeveer 3 minuten. Roer het korianderpoeder en de tijmblaadjes erdoor en bak 1 minuut mee. Voeg geraspte wortels toe en bak, al roerende, 5 minuten mee, voeg dan de courgette toe en bak deze nog 3 minuten mee. Breng op smaak met zout en peper. Zet apart en laat een minuut of 10 afkoelen.

Zet de oven op 200 ˚C en rasp de kazen.

Als het groentemengsel lauw is roer je het eimengsel erdoor en daarna de kazen.

Schep de vulling op de voorgebakken bodem, strijk uit en bak de taart 25-30 minuten in de hete oven tot hij gaar is, heel lekker ruikt en goudbruin ziet.

Serveer op wat simpele groene sla met een lekkere dressing. Het zuur van de dressing is erg lekker bij het zacht-zoete van de taart.

Oeufs en cocotte – eitjes in een pannetje (GF-SF)

First of all I want to thank Roeb for my lovely new banner, I love how he has the patience to transform one of my India pictures into this new feature, I don't ;-)

(By the way, Roeb is my creative soulmate!!)

Oeufs en cocotte, it sounds pretty and quite fancy!

Literally it means eggs in a dish or eitjes in een pannetje, not half as nice as en cocotte, it sounds a bit frivolous, like a summer dress in a breeze.

Although it’s somewhat grey today we already had some really nice spring days, on which it was possible to wear skirts and heels, for a few hours, but ok!

I love springtime, everything is growing so fast, you almost can see the leaves unwrapping. It’s a time of all our senses, it smells good, the birds are starting to whistle already in the early daylight, the new nettles are very, very prickly (ow!) , all these shades of baby green are a joy for the eye and the taste of all these new leafy greens is so strong and poignant and what feels better than the first rays of sunlight on your wintery skin!

It’s the time of rejuvenation, of leaving behind old skin, and starting afresh, a new life, a new beginning, light!

This dish perfectly fits in the idea of a light and healthy starter.

Eggs are full of protein, vitamins A, B11, B12, E and D and contain phosphorus, iron and selenium.

Although they contain cholesterol, there is now a lot of evidence that it’s not the cholesterol in eggs that increases your cholesterol, but it’s the intake of saturated fats and trans-fats from all kinds of junk food and processed foods.

I am not going to make propaganda for eating more eggs but I do want to insist on using Organic Eggs. In short: they taste better because the chickens get better food and have a much better life; did you ever see a battery cage?  

O.k.  let’s go on to the recipe:

Oeufs en cocotte (4 pers)

4 organic eggs

4 tbsp crème fraîche

4 tbsp grated goat’s cheese

4 tbsp white wine (optional)

2 gluten free crackers or slices of bread, crumbled

Butter

2 tbsp of freshly chopped herbs, like cress, chives, chervil, parsley etc.

4 ramekins

Pre-heat the oven on 180 ˚C.

Put on the kettle for boiling water.

Butter the ramekins very well.

Break an egg in every one.

In a bowl mix the crème fraîche, cheese and white wine with some salt and pepper and divide it over the eggs.

Divide the cracker- or breadcrumbs over the four eggs and some small knobs of butter.

Put the ramekins in an oven tray and pour in the boiling water gently till halfway of the ramekins.

Put the oven tray carefully in the middle of the oven and bake the eggs about 20 minutes, till they feel firm on the touch.

Sprinkle the herbs on top and serve!

Happy eggs!

Oeufs en cocotte (4 pers)

4 biologische eitjes

4 el crème fraîche

4 el geraspte pittige geitenkaas

4 el witte wijn (kan je weglaten)

2 glutenvrije crackers of sneetjes brood, verkruimeld

Boter

2 el versgehakte kruiden als bieslook, tuinkers, kervel, peterselie, etc

4 ramequins

Verwarm de oven voor op 180 ˚C.

Zet een ketel water op.

Beboter de ramequins goed en breek in ieder een eitje.

Meng in een kom de crème fraîche, kaas en witte wijn met wat peper en zout en verdeel over de eieren.

Verdeel ook de cracker- of broodkruimels over de 4 schaaltjes en wat botervlokjes.

Zet ze in een ovenschaal en vul deze tot halverwege de ramequins met kokend water.

Zet de schaal voorzichtig in de oven en bak de oeufs 20 minuten tot ze gaar aanvoelen.

Bestrooi met de verse kruiden en serveer deze heerlijke eitjes!

gratin dauphinois (GF-SF)

I’m making a gratin Dauphinois and although I really planned to make it the original way, I could not help myself but to put in a little onion and chopped garlic, just because, you know, etc.
The original consists of potatoes, garlic (but only to smear the inside of the oven casserole!), butter, crème fraîche (and milk), salt, pepper and some grated nutmeg. Nothing less, nothing more.

I love the dish, it’s hearty, warming, comfort food. Great to make in advance, and you have to, because it takes 1 ½ hours in the oven to get ready, delicious with a nice salad and another vegetable dish like the great tasting “dirty rice” from Elana’s Pantry.

Gratin Dauphinois, the classic way (4 pers)

1 kg potatoes, not too loose cooking
1 clove of garlic
50 g butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
125 ml crème fraîche
125 -200 ml milk, to just reach the top layer of potatoes


Pre-heat the oven on 160˚C.

Prepare your ovenproof baking dish by cutting in half the garlic clove and rubbing it in the bottom and sides. Then grease the dish with some butter. Set aside.

Peel the potatoes and slice them very thin, 2 mm, no more!
Layer by layer you put in the potato slices. Put some salt, pepper and nutmeg on every layer.

Mix the crème fraîche and the milk and pour over the potato, just as it reaches the final layer.
Put the rest of the butter in small pieces on top

Bake for 75 minutes in the middle of the pre-heated oven.
The last 15 minutes you put the baking dish high up so the top side can color.

Enjoy your day and dinner!! Namaste!

Gratin Dauphinois, de klassieker (4 pers)

1 kg aardappelen, niet te bloemig, niet te glazig
1 teen knoflook
50 g boter
Zout, peper, nootmuskaat
125 ml crème fraîche
125-200 ml melk, tot je de bovenste laag aardappels bereikt

Verwarm de oven voorop 160˚C.

Snijd de knoflookteen doormidden en wrijf de binnenkant van de ovenschaal ermee in.
Vet daarna goed in met wat boter. Zet apart.

Schil de aardappelen en snijd ze in flinterdunne plakjes, van maximaal 2 mm!
Leg steeds een dun laagje aardappelplakjes in de schaal en bestrooi elke laag met wat zout, peper en nootmuskaat. Ga door tot de schaal bijna vol is.

Meng de crème fraîche en de melk en giet over de aardappelplakjes, precies tot je de bovenste laag bereikt hebt. Leg wat klontjes boter bovenop.

Bak de gratin eerst 75 minuten in het midden van de voorverwarmde oven.
Daarna plaats je de gratin hoger in de oven om nog 15 minuten te bakken en te bruinen.
De schotel moet echt minimaal 90 minuten in de oven om te garen!
Dus begin op tijd.

Geniet van de gratin dauphinois en je dag!
Namaste!