Avocado Tart - in hope of better weather

Cool and creamy summer lunch - Avocado and goat's cheese tart

Avocado and Goats Cheese Tart (vegetarian)

Sometimes only something pale, chilled and creamy will do. We can hope for the weather to go with it. This avocado tart is elegant and light. You can make the pastry well ahead and keep it in an airtight tin but the filling should be made and then the tart served straightaway, we all know how avocado goes brown in the air. Not a good look.

Serve alongside a chopped tomato salsa and a light green salad and you have the perfect summer garden lunch for a favoured friend, maybe with a glass of rose alongside?

I made a full pie, which I think looks very nice sliced up, but you could use the same recipe to make individual tartlets which might be easier to serve if you have a garden party for six lovely people.
 
For the pastry:

• 150g plain flour
  
• 75g butter
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 teaspoon English mustard powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, grind of black pepper, fine salt

For the filling:

• 2 large fresh ripe avocados – or more if they are small
  
• 60g cream cheese – I used full fat
  
• 150ml sour cream
  
• 60g soft goat’s cheese – the creamy/crumbly type without rind
  
• Juice of half a lime.

 
Using either your fingertips or the pastry paddle of your mixer, blend the butter into the flour until you have a fine crumb. Add the powdered spices and mix well, then add the egg and bring the dough together. Mix quickly, don’t knead, then wrap the dough and leave in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Heat your oven to 180°C.  Grease a 21cm metal quiche tin, loose bottom is best. Roll out the dough to fit the tin, drape it over and trim the edges slightly. Line the pastry shell with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake the pastry shell blind for about 20-30 minutes until very crisp and light golden. You can remove the baking beans and paper for a few minutes to really crisp the bottom but prick the pastry with a fork to prevent bubbles rising.

Leave the shell to cool. Keep in an airtight container if not using straight away.

For the filling:  Halve the avocados and remove the stones. Remove the flesh from the shells with a spoon. Reserve one half (if using the large ones) for the top – slice this one finely. Using a stick blender, puree the flesh from the other avocados with the cream cheese and sour cream, adding a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice.

Spread the puree over the base of the tart and add the sliced avocado to top it. Crumble over the goat’s cheese and serve straightaway with your simple tomato salsa. Enjoy the sunshine!