Little Wild Sorrel and Herb Tarts With Melted Goat's Cheese |
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Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 75 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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A delicious and different way to use sorrel leaves - sorrel is usually used in soup and omelette recipes. These little herb tarts are so summery and make wonderful picnic food, as well as interesting appetisers. I have wild, woodland and cultivated sorrel in my garden, but prefer the tangy almost lemon and vinegar taste of wild sorrel leaves in these little tarts. Serve these warm or at room temperature with lightly dressed salad leaves and a glass of crisp, chilled Chablis or Chardonnay. Notes on using sorrel leaves: Sorrel is one of those ingredients that feature all too rarely in our kitchens, yet its bite and acidity make it one of summer's top temptations. When you're cooking the larger, mature leaves, strip out and discard the stalks, just as you would with spinach, before cooking. Avoid aluminium or cast-iron pans, though, because the oxalic acid in the leaves reacts with the metal and affects the flavour. Ingredients:
225 g plain flour |
150 g butter |
1 egg |
250 g baby spinach leaves |
50 g sorrel |
parsley, basil, chives and tarragon (a small bunch each of herb) |
garlic clove |
2 eggs |
300 ml single cream |
salt and pepper, garlic and nutmeg |
300 g goat's cheese |
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C (325F, Gas mark 3). For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and bind with the egg, then allow it to rest for half an hour. Roll out the pastry and line six individual tart tins or 1 large tin.
2. Wash the spinach, sorrel and herbs if necessary and dry them well. Shred the spinach and sorrel. Heat a pan with a little oil and stir fry the spinach and sorrel until it collapses. Remove from the pan and spread out on a plate to allow it to cool quickly.
3. Chop the herbs, crush a sliver of garlic and place in a bowl with the eggs and cream. Add the spinach and sorrel, the seasoning and the nutmeg. Spoon into the tarts. Cook in the oven until the egg mixture is just set, about 15-20 minutes. They do not need to be fully cooked. Allow to cool.
4. To serve, take the tarts out of the tins and place on an oven tray. Increase the oven heat to 200C (400F, Gas mark 6). Place a thick slice of the goat's cheese on the top of each tart and put them back in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve on a bed of dressed salad leaves.
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