Very Full Tart from “Plenty”
In an effort to force myself to actually make some recipes from the cookbooks I buy (instead of watching them collect dust on the coffee table), I’m committing to a once-monthly blog post I’ll call “Cook The Book.” Not to be confused with my other monthly “If I Liked It, Then I Should Have Put A [3] Ring [Binder] On It” posts, these dishes may not necessarily be ones I’ve made again and again (yet). This is just my effort to try out some cookbook recipes and share the results with you.
Recipe: Very Full Tart from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi
(because I’m a bit uncomfortable just copying the recipe from the cookbook, please buy the cookbook, check it out at your local library, or do a quick Google search for the recipe).
Background: This is a cookbook I bought and still love for the beautiful food photography. This is the fourth recipes I’ve tried from this book. With the exception of the fairly straightforward Asparagus Mimosa, every recipe I’ve tried so far has been exceptionally time consuming. Lots of steps, lots of time in the kitchen.
Outcome: Really, really tasty. As advertised, it is very full (absolutely packed) with vegetables – there’s a different flavor and texture in every bite. It’s also absolutely gorgeous, even though I basically charred the eggplant and sweet potato to a crisp in the oven (the directions were a little off for that step). It’s an elegant vegetarian meal that I’m confident almost anyone would enjoy.
What I Liked: The flavor and the beauty.
What I Didn’t: Oh, Plenty. I want to love you unconditionally, but I can’t. Your recipes are needlessly complicated. Your instructions read more like a novel than a cookbook, using long, meandering paragraphs.
For this recipe alone, I had to roast bell peppers for awhile, then add eggplant to the oven later, then add sweet potato to the oven after that, then add zucchini to the oven after that (ridiculous). I also had to cook onions on the stovetop, as well as pre-bake the tart shell (at a different oven temp than used to roast the vegetables). Add in all the other little steps, like making the custard, peeling/chopping the veg and herbs, crumbling the cheese, and giving the assembled tart a final bake, I kid you not – this took me upwards of 2 hours to make. Come on.
Also, if you make this, beware: the custard recipe calls for 2 eggs and 1 cup heavy cream. But by the time I loaded the tart shell with the vegetables (and I used small versions of every vegetable called for), I could only fit half of the custard into the shell. So, I basically wasted 1 egg and 1/2 cup cream (that stuff isn’t cheap, yo!).
Are you a fan of Plenty? What recipes have you tried from the book, and how did they turn out?
All entries in the “Cook The Book” Series:
- Martha Stewart’s Cookies: Iced Hermits, Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwiches, Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, Chocolate-Ginger Brownies, Pecan Tassies, Gingersnap-Raspberry Sandwiches
- Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Creme Brulee
- Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: Chocolate-Salted Caramel Cupcakes, Stout Cupcakes, Triple-Citrus Cupcakes, Blueberries and Cream Cupcakes, Streusel Cupcakes, Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes, Chocolate-Mint Cupcakes, Mocha Cupcakes, Strawberry Cupcakes, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes, Mint-Filled Brownie Cupcakes
- Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts: Coffee Cream Pie, Chocolate Pear Tart, Strawberry Icebox Pie
- Michael Symon’s Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen: Sweet Corn & Wild Mushroom Soup
- Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi: Asparagus Mimosa, Very Full Tart
- Tyler’s Ultimate: Chocolate Banana Bread
I loved how the cherry tomatoes got a kind of roasted thing going on – they kind of rupture a little bit. I love it when they do that, probably because it adds its own sauce. And, you have made me like vegetarian food . . . Which, thanks for keeping me healthy hon.
I got your back.
I love that your husband loved this recipe, Lori. That makes me want to try it all the more. If only I could get mine to read the blog! I wouldn’t even require comments. 🙂
Haha, he only reads when I make him feel guilty, Stacy 😉
I have this recipe bookmarked, but I obviously didn’t read it through! I’ll just throw everything in the oven if I ever make it, lol! But I do love Plenty and this tart does justice to it Lori!
Haha, right? Next time, I would just throw everything in the oven, or just saute everything while the crust pre-bakes.
Seems like a good recipe to spend quality time with my kitchen a sort of zen experience for me, will work on it today with homemade ricotta… Jacque P.
Yummmm…I love homemade ricotta! Have fun, Jacque!
Made it today! what a lovely recipe! had enough leftover veg to make another one in a day or so but will put some Herbes de provence to add more flavor, delish! Jacque P.
I love Plenty – I want to make EVERYTHING! Though I agree that the recipes are complicated. I find myself sidestepping…your tart looks absolutely perfect.
Thanks, Marissa! What I really want to do is go to the restaurant they have photos of in the book. Not sure if that restaurant is still around, but in the photos, they just have a HUGE buffet of all sorts of Plenty-type vegetarian food. It looks so colorful and healthful and delicious. If I lived in London, I would be at the restaurant a lot more often than I actually take the time to cook Plenty recipes 😉
I always steer away from cookbooks where the ingredient lists and the instructions are miles long. Who has the time?! Your tart is stunning so at the end of the day, all the effort must have been worth it! Especially with the high praise from your Hubs in the comment he left.
At the end of the day…it was pretty damn tasty. But yeah, not sure how many more chances I’m going to give Plenty. Maybe it’ll be a purely eye candy book from here on out.
This has got to be the best looking tart I’ve seen in a long time. Great job!
Thanks so much, Jo. All that work was (sort of) worth the beauty 🙂
I have this recipe bookmarked and am planning on making it soon. I had to look to see if anyone made the recipe and reviewed it. I think the directions are a bit off also and I think the tart pan used is one with high sides. I’m going to make this in a pie pan because cream is expensive and I want all that custard. Great post, now I’m not afraid to try it out.
No, don’t let me scare you at all. This recipe was absolutely delicious. I think I should have just used a higher sided tart pan ;0 Enjoy!