Best Goat Cheese Tart Recipes

ASPARAGUS, GOAT CHEESE AND TARRAGON TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, use a fork or a wooden spoon to mash together the goat cheese, egg, garlic, tarragon, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg until smooth. Switch to a whisk and beat in the crème fraîche until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a 13-by-11-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score a 1/2-inch border around the edges of the puff pastry.
• Spread the crème fraîche mixture evenly inside the scored border. Line up the asparagus spears on top, and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and the grated Parmesan over the asparagus.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool on the cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving. Then sprinkle black pepper, red-pepper flakes (if using), the shaved Parmesan and tarragon leaves. Drizzle a little oil on top.

CARAMELIZED ONION, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a mandolin or super-sharp knife, cut onion into paper thin slices. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute until caramelized. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, should take about 5 minutes. Combine caramelized onions with mushrooms and saute together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto a floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form 2 long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet. Trim edges by 1/4-inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break 1 egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some of the egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick the interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Add the thyme to the mushroom mixture. Remove cookie sheet from oven and spread with thyme-mushroom mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens.

GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
• Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch tart pan and line it with the pastry. Keep in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
• Brush the mustard over the bottom of the dough. Slice the tomatoes and arrange over the mustard in concentric circles, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the herbs.
• Beat together the eggs and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the tomatoes. Drizzle on the olive oil. Place in the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse 12 to 14 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the processor running, pour the vinegar and ice water through the feed tube and continue to process and pulse until the dough just comes together. Dump out on a floured board, form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander set over a plate. Toss it with 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Spread the zucchini out on a clean dish towel, roll it up, and squeeze gently to remove some of the liquid. Put the zucchini slices into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With a fork, mash together the goat cheese, thyme, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured board to an 11-inch circle and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lay the zucchini slices in tightly overlapping circles, starting at the very edge of the pastry (the zucchini will shrink when it bakes). Continue overlapping circles of zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Cut in wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

TOMATO, GOAT CHEESE, AND ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• If necessary, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into an 11-inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides with a fork.
• Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven until pastry is pale golden around rim, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake until golden all over, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack.
• While tart shell is baking, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then cook onion with salt and black pepper to taste, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat broiler.
• Spread onion over bottom of tart shell and top with 1 rounded cup goat cheese. Arrange tomatoes, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles over cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Put foil over edge of crust (to prevent overbrowning).
• Put tart pan on a baking sheet and broil tart about 7 inches from heat until cheese starts to brown slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.

LEEK, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim fennel of green top and root end, reserving fronds, and quarter bulb from top to bottom. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, cut fennel and leeks into paper-thin slices. Clean and slice mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add fennel and leeks and sauté until just tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and sauté until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, about 5 minutes. Combine fennel mixture with mushrooms and sauté together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto lightly floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form two long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet (or cut into two circles, if desired). Trim edges by 1/4 inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break one egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. (Or, fold pastry edges over to form a rim.) Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with mushroom-leek mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens. Garnish with fennel fronds.

BELGIAN LEEK TART WITH AGED GOAT CHEESE (FLAMICHE AUX POIREAUX)

Steps:

• Crust:
• Combine 4 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar in small bowl. Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing until moist clumps form. If dough seems dry, add ice water by teaspoonfuls.
• Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Allow dough to soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll dough out on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides. Fold in overhang and press to extend dough 1/2 inch above sides of pan. Line pan with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake until dough looks dry and set, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and beans and continue to bake until crust is pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool while preparing filling.
• Filling:
• Whisk milk, cream, egg, egg yolk, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over bottom of warm crust; spread leek confit over and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Pour milk mixture over. Bake until filling has puffed, is golden in spots, and center looks set, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool slightly. Remove pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GOAT CHEESE, TOMATO, AND CARAMELIZED ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush an 18-by-12 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place dough on sheet; press into a rounded rectangle, about 14 by 12 inches.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a mediumskillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally,until golden, about 12 minutes; transferto a bowl. Add tomatoes and remaining2tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cover;cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes collapse, about 10 minutes.
• Scatter olives, onions, tomatoes, andcheese over dough. Bake until crust isgolden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve, garnished with rosemary.

TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12-inch square; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over pastry. Fold over 1/2-inch border on all sides and press edges to seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise; rinse thoroughly, pat dry, and slice 1/4-inch thick. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are very soft, 5 minutes. Arrange leeks evenly over sour cream mixture on pastry. Top with tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp, 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Top with goat cheese and herbs before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BELGIAN LEEK TART & AGED GOAT CHEESE (FLAMICHE AUX POIREAUX)

Steps:

• PREPARING CRUST:.
• Combine 4 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar in small bowl.
• Blend flour and salt in processor.
• Add butter and cut using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• With machine running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing until moist clumps form.
• If dough seems dry add ice water by teaspoonfuls.
• Gather dough into ball, flatten into disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• *Can be made 3 days ahead.
• Keep refrigerated.
• Allow dough to soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375ºF.
• Roll dough out on a floured work surface to 12" round; transfer to 9" diameter tart pan with removable bottom.
• Press dough onto bottom and up sides.
• Fold in overhang and press to extend dough 1/2" above sides of pan.
• Line pan with foil and dried beans or pie weights.
• Bake until dough looks dry and set, about 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and beans and continue to bake until crust is pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven and cool while preparing filling.
• PREPARING FILLING:.
• Whisk milk, cream, egg, egg yolk, and salt in medium bolw to blend.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over bottom of warm crust; spread leek confit over and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Pour milk mixture over.
• Bake until filling has puffed, is golden in spots, and center looks set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer to rack; cool slightly.
• Remove pan sides; serve warm or at room temperature.
• MAKE LEEK CONFIT:.
• Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat.
• Add leeks; stir to coat.
• Stir in water and salt.
• Cover pot; reduce heat to low.
• Cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 25 minutes.
• Uncover and cook to evaporate excess water. 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve warm - yield 2 cups.
• **Can be made 1 week ahead - keep chilled. Rewarm before using.

GOAT CHEESE AND TOMATO TART IN A CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Cut butter into pieces.
• In a food processor pulse together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated and mixture just forms a dough. Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 10 1/2- by 7- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim (see note, above) and roll a rolling pin over rim of pan to trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust about 20 minutes, or until firm.
• While crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake crust in lower third of oven until edge is set, 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake crust 5 minutes more, or until just dry. Leave oven on and cool crust in pan on a rack (crust may crack slightly). Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature.
• Make custard:
• Chop basil. In a bowl whisk together basil and remaining custard ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour custard into crust, spreading evenly. Halve tomatoes and arrange, cut sides up, in one layer on custard, pressing lightly into custard. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and bake tart in lower third of oven until custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Cool tart to warm in pan on rack. Tart may be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered, in pan. Reheat tart, uncovered, in a 350°F. oven or bring to room temperature before serving.
• Carefully remove rim from pan. Cut tart into roughly 2-inch pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the butter, flour and pinch of salt. Pulse until the butter is about the size of small peas. In a small bowl, mix 1 egg with the ice water. Add to the flour-butter mixture. Pulse until the dough begins to come together, but is still somewhat loose and shaggy. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and gather together lightly and quickly into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Place dough on floured surface and roll out into large circle, about 1/8-inch in thickness. Sprinkle the bottom of the dough with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Begin to layer the tomatoes around in concentric circles inside the dough, leaving about a 2-inch margin of dough at the edges. Sprinkle the fresh goat cheese evenly over the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top of the goat cheese.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with the 1/2 cup of half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold the edges of the dough up around the tomatoes, pinching the creases as you go, but casually. Enclose the tomatoes partway to make it leak-proof. Carefully pour the custard around and over the tomatoes and cheese. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Place in 400 degree oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut the tart into 10 wedges and sprinkle wit the julienned basil. Serve

GOAT-CHEESE LEEK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on lowest shelf. In a medium bowl, toss leeks with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, 2 egg yolks, and thyme. Lightly season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash.
• Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread goat-cheese mixture on crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Top with leeks. Fold edge of dough over filling, pinching folds together to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges; serve.

GOAT'S CHEESE, POTATO & ONION TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry so it is large enough to fit a deep 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, then line the tin with the pastry. Chill for 30 mins. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans and return the tin to the oven for 5 mins until golden, then remove and set aside. Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and potato and cook over a very gentle heat for 10-15 mins, turning occasionally, until golden and tender. Season if you want to, then add the garlic and thyme leaves, and cook for a further 3 mins. Tip into the pastry case along with the goat's cheese and spread out evenly.
• Whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together, season if you want to, then pour into the pastry case and bake for 30-35 mins until lightly golden brown and just set in the centre. Serve warm, with rocket leaves scattered over if using.

ASPARAGUS AND WILD LEEK TART WITH GOAT CHEESE AND RED PEPPER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottom of the stems that are greenish-white and tough. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, submerge the asparagus for 30 seconds to blanch, remove the asparagus from the pot and quickly submerge in iced water to shock. Set the asparagus aside.
• From the wild leeks, trim off the dirty roots and snip an inch off the tops, before washing them carefully in cold water. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter begins to foam add the wild leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broth to the wild leeks and simmer until all of the broth has evaporated but be careful not to burn the leeks. Remove from the saute pan and allow to cool.
• Prepare a space to work with the phyllo dough: unwrap the dough and cover with a cloth, have a brush and the olive oil ready and have a cookie sheet ready on which the tart will be baked. Begin by lightly brushing the center of the cookie sheet with a film of olive oil. Next, lay the first sheet of dough on the cookie pan, brush the dough lightly with oil and overlap width wise the next sheet over only half of the first so that now the two sheets make a pastry sheet 50 percent wider (not longer) than the original dimension of the pastry. Don't be concerned if the lengthwise ends of the dough are overflowing from the edges of the pan: all of the edges of the dough will be rolled up to form the edges of the tart.
• Brush the second sheet of dough with oil and lay another sheet squarely over the first so that in alternating this pattern you build your wide pastry base. Continue to alternate the dough sheets, brushing each layer with oil, until you have used half the package of dough.
• Gather the edges of the phyllo between the tips of your fingers and begin to roll them toward the
• center to form the sides of the tart. Roll uniformly inward until the rolled edge is even all around and the round tart resembles a pizza. Leave a pastry base of 10 to 12 inches into which the vegetables and cheese will go after the tart shell is blind baked.
• Place the empty tart shell into the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before filling. This pastry preparation can be done over the course of several hours and can even be done a day or two ahead if the blind baking is reserved until the last moment and the raw pastry is covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
• To fill the tart crumble the goat cheese and spread it evenly over the base of the tart. Next add an even layer of wild leeks, followed by the asparagus which should be fanned, tips out, from the center of the tart. Season the tart lightly with salt and pepper, place into the 375 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has softened and the crust becomes a rich golden brown. Serve immediately.
• While the tart is baking (or ahead of time if possible) prepare the vinaigrette. Place the red pepper, mustard, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse to chop the red pepper to a fine dice. When the pepper has been pulsed enough, begin to drizzle in the walnut oil to create an emulsified dressing.
• Serve the tart with a small green salad and a drizzle of red pepper vinaigrette.

LEEK-AND-GOAT-CHEESE TART WITH RYE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into an 8-by-11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; trim edges. Dock bottom with a fork and refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Line chilled dough with parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake until dry to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove beans and parchment and bake until golden brown all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 30 minutes. (Baked crust can wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature up to 1 day.)
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring gently, until just turning light golden, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add scallions and cilantro; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and let cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine cheese, eggs, milk, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse to combine. Pour into crust. Top with leek mixture, spreading evenly. Bake until set in center, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool in pan at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (This tart is best eaten the day it is made, but can also be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days.)

MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft and dry, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet, then shallot. Sauté until shallot is soft, about 4 minutes longer. Add nutmeg. Season mushroom filling with salt and pepper. Cool.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out puff pastry onto lightly floured surface to 12x15-inch rectangle. Cut one 12x5-inch rectangle, two 11x1/2-inch strips and two 5x1/2-inch strips from pastry. Place rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Pierce all over with fork. Using pastry brush, brush all strips with egg. Place short strips, egg side down, atop ends of pastry to form raised crust edge; place long strips, egg side down, atop long sides of pastry. (Mushroom filling and tart shell can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake tart shell until golden, about 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Spread cheese evenly over bottom of hot tart shell. Top with mushrooms. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with cream. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

ARTICHOKE, ROASTED RED PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spread flour on rolling pin. Place puff pastry sheet on piece of cooking parchment paper; roll into 11x10-inch rectangle. Keep pastry on parchment; transfer to large cookie sheet. Score dough 1/2 inch from edge all the way around. Poke all over with fork. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat Goat Cheese Spread ingredients with whisk. In small bowl, mix bell pepper, artichoke hearts, arugula, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Drop goat cheese mixture by dollops evenly over center of tart, on top of hot dough; let stand 1 minute. Spread cheese mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top with pepper and artichoke mixture, followed by pine nuts. Cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.

POLENTA, GOAT CHEESE, AND MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit it into a 9-inch quiche dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch and fold toward center, pressing against side of dish. Chill shell until ready to use.
• In a skillet cook mushrooms with salt to taste in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until golden and any liquid is evaporated. Spread mushrooms in shell and bake in middle of oven 20 minutes.
• While tart is baking, with back of a spoon force polenta through a coarse sieve into a bowl to break up lumps. Stir in sour cream and remaining 6 tablespoons butter until combined well. Force goat cheese through small teardrop-shaped holes of a grater and stir into polenta mixture with eggs and salt.
• Spread polenta mixture over mushrooms and sprinkle with thyme. Bake tart 35 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool tart on a rack until just warm.
• To make butter pastry dough:
• In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt and with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a floured work surface smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to slightly develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in 1 hour. Dough may be made 1 week ahead and chilled. Makes enough dough for a single-crust 9-inch tart.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.