Butternut Squash, Hazelnut and Thyme Tart.

You can use which ever pastry you like for this, I made spelt and Thyme, but plain, gluten free, wholemeal, rye, and all would work just as well. Sage in the tart works very well too. This make a delicious little light lunch on the weekend with a green salad.

SERVES:
04-06

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

Pastry

2 cups flour

3/4 cup vegan butter. Cut into cubes. I used stork for pastry and cookies

1 tsp salt

1tsp dried thyme. I used wild dried thyme.

2-3 tbsp. cold water

Filling

280g block of firm Tofu

¾ cup almond milk, or other non-dairy milk

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. gram flour

1 tsp black salt/kala namak (optional) or regular salt

¼ tsp turmeric

Half a butternut squash and cut in half width ways. Use only the bulbous end, peel, cut in half, deseed and slice into wedges.

3 tbsp. blanched hazelnuts roughly chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Pre heat the oven to 180°C
To make you pastry add the flour, salt and butter to a large bowl. With your hands rub the butter and flour between your fingers. With your palms facing up. Push your thumbs from your little finger to your fore finger, across the ends of your fingers. Continue to do this until it resembles bread crumbs.
With your hand bring the dough together gentle by adding 1tbs at a time of the cold water, until it comes together in a ball. Do not over work, kneed or handle too much. Place the ball on a floured surface and form into a thick disc. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge until you‘re ready to use.
Prepare your squash and lay on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with a light oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until lightly golden and tender. About 20 minutes
In a high-powered blender add in all the remaining tart ingredients except the hazelnuts and thyme. Blend until silky smooth
Remove your pastry from the fridge and roll between two sheets of baking paper. About the thickness of a pound coin.
Lightly grease a 20cm diameter cake tin, or tart tin.
Lay your rolled pastry gentle into the greased tin, easing the pastry into the corners. Prick the base a few times with a folk. Leave some of the pastry over hanging slightly to allow for shrinkage. You will trim this after the blind bake.
Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans, or dried lentils. Blind bake for about 15 minutes and remove the baking sheet and beans, and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven.
The squash should also be ready to be removed from the oven.
Trim the edge of the pastry in line with the edge of the tin if necessary.
Scrape the filling into the prepared tart case and top with the squash, giving it a little push down. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts giving a few a little push into the filling and sprinkle with the thyme leaves.
Place back into the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is turning golden and the filling has set.
Serve with a green salad.