Le Farmhouse Stay - seasonal summer tarts for outdoor entertaining

It is our first season (2024) of Le Farmhouse Stay, hosting select guests for five exclusive weeks in our 18th century farmhouse in Provence. We are spoiling our guests with some of our favorite summer recipes, taking full advantage of seasonal produce - in particular farm-fresh tomatoes and green and yellow zucchini. We are happy to share our recipes for these two show-stopping tarts - la tarte aux courgettes and la tarte aux tomates - inspired by recipes from Justine Doiron (@justine_snacks) and Kate Hill (@katehill.france). Whether it is over a light lunch, poolside under the live oak, or part of an apéro dinatoire (dining happy hour) spread, these two tarts have been a hit with our friends and guests. We hope they become a staple in your summer repertoire as well!

Starting in June, our weekly markets in the Luberon are filled with beautiful zucchini (and zucchini flowers!) and heirloom tomatoes. For those who are local, we often drive to the amazing Les Cailloux in Rognonas to buy a crate of these delicious tomatoes (@lescaillouxenprovence).

Zucchini Swirl Tart (Tarte tourbillon de courgettes)

Provençal Tomato Tart (Tarte aux tomates)

TIP: on a warm day, serve these tarts room temperature with a basic green salad and some fresh goat cheese. Oh, and a bottle of chilled rosé!

Zucchini Swirl Tart (Tarte tourbillon de courgettes)

Serves 4-6

I am a visual cook (and eater!), and so my heart stopped when I saw this recipe from Justine Doiron in a google search for "zucchini ricotta tart". You see, I had just returned from the Sunday producers' market in Coustellet and my bag was filled with the most beautiful yellow and green zucchini, and a local sheep milk ricotta (brousse de brebis). I was planning on making my Summer Zucchini and Ricotta Salad to take to a friends' house for dinner, but wasn't sure it would travel well. This recipe is fairly close to the original from Justine, with a few twists based on what I had available and how I was hoping to serve the dish.

Ingredients

For the tart

• All-butter pie crust (make your own, or store-bought)

• 2 cloves garlic (I prefer fresh garlic for this recipe)

• 1 lemon (zest and juice)

• 1 cup brousse de brebis (whole milk ricotta)

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1/2 tsp espelette pepper (substitute 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme (lemon thyme if you have it)

• 4 large zucchinis or courgettes (2 green and 2 yellow) - ideally of similar dimensions.

• Olive oil

• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
  

For the Romesco Sauce

• 1/2 cup sun-roasted or oven-roasted tomatoes (in oil)

• 1/4 cup blanched almonds

• 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts
  

• 1 large roasted red pepper (or 1/2 cup jarred in oil)

• 1 garlic cloves

• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

• 1 teaspoon paprika
  

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

For the Romesco Sauce

1. (Optional) - toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a frying pan over medium heat until lightly brown

2. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processer (or powerful blender), and puree until smooth. You can adjust the liquidity of the mixture with extra olive oil to get the consistency you would like.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper
   

For the Tart

1. Remove the pie crust from the fridge, roll it out, and transfer to a tart pan. Chill.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. (180°C)

3. Mix lemon zest, crushed garlic, brousse (ricotta), honey, espelette peper (or red pepper flakes), thyme leaves, salt, and pepper in a bowl and set aside.

4. Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini lengthwise (thin strips), then halve the slices. (Note - try to get the slices about the same height as it will make the final tart beautiful). Toss with salt and pepper. I like to layer them between paper towels for about 30 minutes to encourage the zucchini slices to lose some of their water content.

5. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and thyme leaves in a separate bowl.

6. Blind bake the crust for 18-20 minutes (I put parchment paper on top and fill the tart with dried beans);

7. Take out the crust and allow to cool.

8. Spread ricotta mix on the crust, then starting from the outside, start to place the zucchini "skin-side up" around the outside of the tart edge, alternating colors after each full rotation and keeping them tight. This sounds hard, but it's a fun process.

9. Once assembled, brush the with lemon-oil-thyme mix and sprinkle some sea salt on time.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the zucchini starts to turn golden brown on the edges..

11. Cool slightly before serving with a smear of romesco sauce and a green side salad.

For a more detailed recipe from which this is inspired, visit Justine Snacks.

Provençal Tomato Tart (Tarte aux tomates provençal)

Serves 4-6

My love affair with this simple tart started almost 30 years ago when I was a student in Avignon for the summer. I spent the summer taking literature and theater classes at the Palais du Roure during the famous Avignon theater festival, living with a wonderful host named Michelle who so kindly opened up her home to students. She made this tart one lunch and it blew my mind - these were not the tomatoes I grew up on, but somehow the most sun-ripened, sweet heirloom tomatoes that when cooked, hold their form and beautiful texture. The tomatoes from just around Avignon are incredible, and I make this tart at least once a week in season. Years later, one of my insta chef idols - @katehill.france - shared a similar recipe.

Ingredients

• All-butter pie crust (make your own, or store-bought)

• 3-4 medium, ripe heirloom tomatoes (all red or you can change it up with red/yellow), cut into thick slices (1" each)

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (with or without grain)

• 2 cups grated Comté or Gruyere cheese (emmental works too)

• 2 tbsp Herbes de provence (or you can substitute dried marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano)

• Sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. (180°C)

2. Place the pie crust in a tart pan (idealy with removable bottom). My tart pan has small holes which helps to ensure the crust cooks well

3. Spread 1-2 tbsp (to your taste) of Dijon mustard on the pastry

4. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the mustard

5. Layer the tomatoes, covering as much of the pie crust as you can (I even cut some of the tomatoes into little wedges to fill in the holes).

6. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top

7. Bake until pie crust looks done and tomatoes starting to brown slightly (approx 30-40 min)