Summer Garden Tart

This Summer Garden Tart is a delightful, colorful dish that perfectly encapsulates the flavors of summer. The tart features a homemade cornmeal crust, crisp and slightly sweet, providing a rustic and hearty base. Topped with a mixture of sautéed sweet onions, yellow summer squash, thyme, garlic, and fresh corn kernels, the tart offers a medley of fresh, garden-inspired flavors and textures. These vegetables are lightly browned and infused with herbs, adding depth to their natural sweetness. The filling is enriched with a sprinkle of both mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, melting into the warm vegetables and adding a creamy, savory note. Once baked, the tart’s crust becomes golden and flaky, while the cheeses create a gooey, delicious layer. Garnished with fresh parsley, this tart is not just visually appealing but also a celebration of fresh, seasonal produce, ideal for a light summer meal or an elegant appetizer.

Summer Garden Tart

Lynne Santos
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

Tart

  • ½ cup low-fat milk
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup Vidalia or other sweet onion vertically sliced
  • 1 cup sliced yellow summer
  • 1 squash medium
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 t. dried thyme
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels about 2 ears
  • 1 can 11.5 oz refrigerated corn bread twists
  • cooking spray
  • 1 tbsp yellow cornmeal
  • ¼ cup 1 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 14 cup 1 oz grated fresh
  • Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Cornmeal Tart Dough

  • 1 cup flour
  • cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp chilled butter cut in small pieces
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 T. water

Instructions
 

Cornmeal Tart Dough

  • Prepare in food processor.
  • Place flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt in work bowl and process until mixed (about 3 seconds).
  • Add butter and process until blended (about 4 seconds).
  • Add egg-water mixture and process until dough barely forms a ball.
  • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Knead lightly to form a ball, sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons flour if necessary.
  • Pat into a square, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. If more than 2 hours, remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before pressing out.
  • Press dough into a 9-inch diameter tart tin, covering bottom and sides.
  • Prick dough all over with a fork.

Tart

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until browned.
  • Combine corn and milk in a saucepan over medium heat; cook 13 minutes.
  • Unroll dough (do not separate into strips).
  • Roll dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
  • Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with commeal.
  • Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.
  • Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over crust; top with corn mixture and vegetables.

Notes

Note: If you can’t find corn bread twists at the grocery store, use Cornmeal Tart Dough.