Goat Cheese and Arugula Tarte Flambée

There is a fabulous French restaurant in Vancouver called Les Faux Bourgeois where I have in the past enjoyed their tarte flambée.  I was having company the other night and wanted to make a special appetizer, so I thought I’d make up my own version.  Never having used puff pastry before, there was some trial and error, but the results were excellent.  The olive dressing adds a nice salty kick.

What you need:

• 3 tablespoons minced kalamata olives or black olive tapenade
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• puff pastry, thawed in the fridge over night
• a dozen or so mushrooms, sliced
• a splash or two white wine, optional
• baby arugula
• goat cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, for brushing the pastry
• pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil or butter until slightly browned. Part way through you can add the splash of wine if you are using it, and continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed or evaporated.
3. To make the dressing purée the olives with the lemon and vinegar, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you purée.
4. Roll out the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about half a centimeter thick. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (you could also make this into several squares to serve individual portions.) Brush the pastry with the egg.
5. Spread a little goat cheese over the surface of the pastry, then lay some baby arugula over the cheese.  Distribute the mushrooms, then add a few bits of goat cheese to the top.  Crack some pepper on the top, and it’s ready to go into the oven.
6. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, then let it sit for a minute before you cut and serve it.  Drizzle each portion with the olive dressing.

Bon appétit!