Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts and Homemade Pesto

Jerusalem Artichokes, a relative of the Sunflower, are in season during the winter months from October to March and are therefore a great vegetable to enjoy right now. They are rich in vitamin C and K and originate from Mexico, but thrives in the British garden. In this recipe I have combined a sharp counterpart in form of the Goats Cheese, to the mild tasting Jerusalem Artichokes. And adding homemade pesto gives the whole dish a rich feel. I also used my ‘birthday present eggs’! They were a gift from my good friends’ chickens!

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Short Crust Pastry

200g plain flour
100g butter, cubed
2-3 tbsp cold water
pinch of salt

Filling

400g jerusalem artichokes, peeled
3 large handfuls of spinach
2 eggs
150g goats cheese
250ml single cream
tsp ground nutmeg
half a lemon, juiced
3 tbsp homemade pesto, recipe here
pinch of salt and pepper

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In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Try to work quickly so that the butter does not melt.

Add the water and form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed briefly.

Roll out the pastry to 1 cm’s thickness and either place in two greased 15 cm flan tins, or one 25-30cm flan tin. There is no need to trim off the excess pastry edges at this stage, they can be trimmed later.

Refrigerate for 30 min.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry cases for 15 mins, then remove the paper and beans, continue cooking until crisp and light golden. Using a small, sharp knife, carefully trim off the excess pastry.

Meanwhile make the filling. Peel the Jerusalem Artichokes and boil in salted water for 10-15 min, until al dente. Cool and thinly slice into rounds. Next chop up the spinach and place in a large pan with the lemon juice, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper until wilted, then add 100ml of cream. Lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the remaining cream together with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Spread a tbsp of pesto onto the pastry bases, then arrange the jerusalem artichokes followed by the spinach. Pour the egg mixture on top and finish by adding the sliced goats cheese, pesto and a scattering of pine nuts.

Bake for 30-35 min in a preheated oven at 170 °c /fan 160 °c .

Serve with a green salad.