Name: Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts for Two
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: ½ (9½ by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry , thawed; 4 ounces (113 grams) goat cheese , softened; ¼ cup chopped fresh basil; 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice; Salt and pepper; ½ fennel bulb , stalks discarded, bulb cored and sliced thin; 1 garlic clove , minced; ¼ cup dry white wine; ¼ cup pitted oil-cured black olives , chopped

Why This Recipe Works

For the base, we reached for convenient store-bought puff pastry. Fresh, anise-flavored fennel and briny cured olives made a light but flavorful combination for the filling. Tangy goat cheese brightened with fresh basil contrasted nicely with the rich, flaky pastry and helped bind the vegetables and pastry together. Parbaking the pastry without the weight of the filling allowed it to puff up nicely. To keep the filling firmly in place, we cut a border around the edges of the baked crusts and lightly pressed down the centers to make neat beds for the cheese and vegetables. Just 5 minutes more in the oven heated the filling through and browned the crusts beautifully.

Before You Begin

To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pastry sheet in half widthwise to make 2 squares and lay on prepared sheet. Poke pastry squares all over with fork and bake until puffed and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Using tip of paring knife, cut ½-inch-wide border into top of each pastry shell, then press centers down with your fingertips.

While pastry bakes, mix goat cheese, 2 tablespoons basil, 2 teaspoons oil, lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in small bowl. Heat remaining 2½ teaspoons oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add fennel and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated and fennel is very soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and olives.

Spread goat cheese mixture evenly over centers of prebaked tart shells, leaving raised edges clean, then spoon fennel mixture evenly over cheese layer. Transfer filled tarts to oven and bake until cheese is heated through and crust is deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.