Courgette tart with fresh tomato sauce recipe

Homemade pastry may seem like an effort, but it's worth it for this tasty courgette tart. The sauce is great with pasta too.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 175g (6oz) plain flour100g (3½oz) unsalted butter
• Salt
• 1 medium egg yolk

For the filling:

• 750g (1½lb) courgettes
• 45g (11½oz) unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 200ml (7fl oz) double cream
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 3tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 23cm (9in) loose-based flan tin
• Baking beans, or foil

For the tomato sauce

(optional):

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 500g (1lb) ripe tomatoes, sliced,
• 1 heaped tsp sugar
• 1tbsp tomato purée
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. To make the optional tomato sauce: heat the olive oil in a large pan and add all the other ingredients, including seasoning. Cook, covered, for 15 mins. Take off the lid and cook until reduced by a third - about 15 mins - sieve and check the seasoning.
2. To make the pastry: put the flour, butter and a little salt into a food processor and whizz to crumb stage. Add the egg yolk and enough water (3tbsp) to bind the pastry together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr.
3. To make the courgette tart: roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm (1/8in) thick. Use to line the flan tin, with a little extra pastry up the sides to allow for shrinkage. There will be a little pastry left over. Chill flan case while the oven heats up to gas mark 4 or 180°C. Prick the pastry base with a fork, then line it with paper and baking beans or foil and bake for 15 mins. Take out the paper/beans or foil and cook base for another 15 mins.
4. Trim the ends off the courgettes and slice the vegetables thinly. Cook the courgettes in 3 batches. Melt a third of the butter in a frying pan, add a batch of courgette slices, season and cook for several minutes until a little softened but not too browned. Spoon into a large bowl and cook the rest, adding them to the bowl.
5. Turn up the oven to gas mark 5 or 190°C. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and cream and season with salt, pepper and a good pinch of nutmeg.
6. Pour half the custard into the bowl of courgettes and mix gently. Spoon the mixture into the flan case. Sprinkle in the parsley. Pour the rest of the custard over. Bake tart in oven for 30-35 mins. Cool the courgette tart for about 10 mins then serve warm with the fresh tomato sauce, if you like.