This eggplant tarte tatin (aka upside-down tart) with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts is a real show-stopper. Soft layers of eggplant shallow fried in extra virgin olive oil topped with a flakey Maiorca Flour Pastry. A touch of Saba adds a nice contrast to the savory notes in this dish. This tart is best served at room temperature, so you can make it well ahead of time. Or even better, bring this to a party! Bake it in a rectangular dish, and cut it into squares for shareable perfection.
Ingredients
TIME: 1 hour + dough preparation (1.5 hours), plus eggplant salting (optional, but recommended)
SERVES: 6
- Eggplant, 1kg / 2lbs (about three medium), sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- Coarse Sea Salt, about 2 tsp (optional)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, about 120ml / 1/2 cup, for frying the eggplant
- Sun Dried Tomatoes preserved in EVOO, 5 pieces (about 25g/ 1oz), diced, plus 2 Tbsp of their oil
- Pine Nuts, 2 Tbsp
- Saba, 2 Tbsp
- Maiorca Flour Pastry crust, prepared through step 4 (you won’t need the egg wash)
Preparation
- If you have the time, layer the eggplant slices in a colander with the coarse sea salt. Leave to rest for 40 minutes to draw out excess liquid.
- Meanwhile, drizzle the Saba and the oil from the sun dried tomatoes in a 9in / 22cm pie dish (alternatively, you could use a casserole dish, just be sure to roll out your crust into the correct shape). Scatter over the sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C, and remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Working in batches, shallow fry the eggplant for 3-5 minutes per side, until softened and lightly browned, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Layer the eggplant over the pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes. You should end up with two layers of eggplant.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry crust out 1/4 inch / 6mm thick. Lay it over the eggplant slices, trimming away the excess dough. Gently tuck the edges of the pastry down into the rim of your dish. Use a fork or a knife to prick the center of the pastry a few times, so the steam can escape in the oven.
- Bake for 35-45 mins, until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and run a butter knife around the edge of the tart. Leave to cool for an hour or so, then flip upside-down (that’s the tarte tatin move!) onto a serving platter or cutting board. Some pine nuts and bits of sun dried tomato will likely have stuck to the pan. Simply scoop them up and arrange on top of the tart.
- Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature.
