Why kesong puti? Because I love its texture and brininess. And if it isn’t available? Well, you may use cottage cheese or ricotta. The texture and flavor won’t be the same but the tart will still turn out good, I promise.
There are no special tools required for making this spinach artichoke puff pastry tart. A silicone mat is useful but, if you don’t own one, just line a baking tray with non-stick paper.
A hand chopper or a food processor is useful for chopping the artichoke and blanched spinach to uniformly-sized pieces but a good sharp knife will do the job just as effectively.
Spinach and artichoke puff pastry tart
Puff pastry isn't just for making sweets. It's also great for making savory dishes like this two-cheese vegetable tart. Serve as appetizer, finger food or snack.
Ingredients
- 150 grams fresh spinach
- 1 240-gram can artichoke hearts
- 250 grams Filipino kesong puti - if unavailable, substitute cottage cheese or ricotta
- 150 grams mozzarella
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning - available in the spice section of the grocery
- 500 grams frozen puff pastry - (take it out of the freezer when you're ready to assemble the tart)
- 1 egg - lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Rinse the spinach well to remove any trace of soil. Drain.
- Blanch the spinach in a pot of boiling water for five minutes. Drain.
- Dump in a bowl of iced water to cool. Alternatively, pour into a strainer and place under the tap for about thirty seconds. Drain then squeeze out the excess water.
- Roughly chop the spinach.
- Drain the artichokes and roughly chop.
- Place the chopped spinach and artichokes in a mixing bowl.
- Crumble the kesong puti and grate the mozzarella over them.
- Add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and lemon and pepper seasoning. Stir well.
- Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of a quarter inch. Trim the sides to make a neat rectangle.
- Carefully transfer the rolled puff pastry on a lined baking tray.
- Brush all the edges of the crust with egg wash.
- Fold in all sides of the crust, about 1 cm wide, to make a ridge on every side.
- Pierce the bottom of the crust several times with a fork to create steam vents to prevent the crust from rising during baking.
- Spread the artichoke spinach filling evenly on the crust without going over the ridges.
- Brush the top of the ridges with more egg wash.
- Bake the tart in a 375F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the ridges of the crust are puffed and browned.
- Cut the spinach artichoke puff pastry tart into rectangles or squares and serve hot.
