Roasted Vegetable Tart

This recipe -- and the poached pears in the same issue -- are by Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty. Based on these two recipes, I'd definitely like to try a few more recipes and have an opportunity to eat in his restaurant.

The roasted veggie mix (red peppers, eggplant, sweet potato, tomatoes, onion, and fennel) in this recipe is totally delicious. I made a few minor changes, using jarred red piquillo peppers instead of roasting my own, and the last of a container of yellow Zima cherry tomatoes (so sweet and tasty I'd been popping them like candy) rather than vine-ripened red tomatoes.

You do need quite a bit of lead time for making the pastry crust, and roasting the veggies, assembling the tart (adding eggs, cream, and goat cheese) and then baking it (all together about four hours), but every step is easy along the way, especially if you are a dab hand with a pastry crust (I am not but mine turned out pretty well this time) or use one from the grocery store.

There is a reason this is the cover recipe for the issue -- it is very very pretty. And even better eating on day two.

That said, this recipe got a four rather than a five from me because I thought the buttery pastry crust was overkill -- almost distracting from the great veggie flavors. I'd love to -- no, I will -- try the veggie mix as a pizza topping.