Tarte de Soleil with Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

Deep into a Humboldt winter, the sun is a shy one, so try and coax it out with this baked deliciousness! While some of us are happily noticing the lengthening of the days, others get a little preoccupied by the tossing of a pigskin ball and its culmination in a big bowl. Whatever your pleasure, here is a fun and beautiful way to celebrate both of these events.

Puff pastry sandwiches a homemade sun-dried tomato and olive tapenade, baked until golden and then served with a dipping sauce. Perfect when you want to indulge or impress. My inspiration was from Smitten Kitchen, and while I strayed a bit, her suggestions were still pretty spot on. Incidentally, buying puff pastry is the easy way to go, but I did make mine - gluten free! - and my current GF cooking goddess is Nicole Hunn of Gluten Free on a Shoestring, check her out!

Tarte de Soleil with Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

(makes 12 inch round tarte)

2 packages puff pastry (1 ¾ lbs)

1 Egg

2 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon minced chives

Tapenade:

½ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and minced

1 can black olives - mild California kind

10 oil cured black olives, pitted

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-2 tablespoons oil (I used the oil from the tomatoes)

Black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Optional dips:

Whipped Feta

8 oz feta

2 oz sour cream or greek yogurt

¼ - ⅓ cup olive oil

Chives to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

If making the dip, combine ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed. The feta dip can be salty, so taste before adding additional salt. I used vegan sour cream (toffuti brand) and it worked wonderfully. Store in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld.

Make the tapenade by combining all the ingredients in a food processor, and pureeing until well blended. Make it as chunky or as smooth as you desire, I wanted a smooth paste, so added a bit more oil to achieve that effect.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out one package of pastry dough, using flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board and the rolling pin, large enough to fit a 12-10 inch plate on it. Cut out the shape of the plate, and transfer to a parchment line baking sheet. Spread the tapenade on top, to the edges of the circle, leaving at least a 1 inch border on the edge free of tapenade. Roll out the rest of the puff pastry, cut another circle using the plate and lift it on top of the tapenade. Dip your finger in water, and run it around the inner edge of the puff pasty, to seal the edges together. 

Place a small glass in the center of the circle of pastry, and cut the dough in quarters, away from the center, but not thru the parchment paper. Repeat the cuts so that you have 32 rays (my photo is less since I made a half batch, thus a smaller tarte). Carefully lift up each ray, placing your pointer finger at the point near the center to hold it in place, and gently twist three to four times, and place it back on the parchment. Repeat with all rays. Whip the egg with water and brush over the pastry to create the egg-washed look, sprinkle the minced chives on top.  Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes and serve with the dips. 

Hugs!