The savory tart with a soft base is a perfect appetizer for any occasion, especially for holidays and celebrations. It’s easy and quick to prepare and can be filled in countless ways.
Preparing the soft tart is really easy, however, a specific mold is needed to achieve the recess that allows us to fill it.
This mold is called a smart mold. It looks like a regular tart pan but it isn’t because it has a raised bottom specifically for soft tarts.
The version I propose today is with stracchino and smoked salmon, decorated with cherry tomatoes, olives, and corn. I also added some basil pesto to the dough, which gave the savory tart a great aroma!
The soft savory tart is also fun to make. The decoration part is certainly a moment of fun and creativity that you can share with your family!
This soft base appetizer knows no season, as we can vary the ingredients and prepare delicious tarts for any occasion. For example, the version with mortadella and burrata… a show!
Moreover, we can fill the soft tart with raw ingredients to enjoy cold, or bake it in the oven once filled and enjoy it hot or warm.
Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, a birthday buffet or an aperitif with friends, the soft tart is the perfect choice to impress without effort!
But now let’s see together how to prepare a filled soft tart with step-by-step photos!
I leave you with other easy and scenic recipes perfect for impressing at the table with simplicity!
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: about 8 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (if unavailable, also use type 00)
- 3 eggs (medium whole)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 7 tbsp water (or milk)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 tablespoons)
- Half teaspoon salt
- to taste black peppercorns (only if you like)
- 1/6 cup pesto
- 1 tbsp instant yeast for savory preparations
- 10 oz stracchino (or crescenza or squacquerone)
- 3 1/2 oz smoked salmon (or smoked swordfish if preferred)
- 12 cherry tomatoes (about)
- 1/3 cup pistachio crumbs (about)
- to taste sweet canned corn, drained
- 6 green olives in brine (or more if preferred)
Tools
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Tart mold
- Spatula
- Sieve
Steps
Premise: to make this soft tart, you need a raised bottom tart mold 28 cm.
If you have a larger one (e.g. 12 inches) it’s fine, but smaller than 28 cm NO because the dough could overflow.
In a bowl, beat the whole eggs with an electric mixer for one minute. If you prefer, you can use a hand whisk as I did.
Add the Parmesan, oil, water (or milk), a pinch of salt, and mix the ingredients.
Gradually incorporate flour and yeast for savory cakes using a sieve until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
Finally, add the basil pesto (it is not essential; if preferred, you can skip it without making changes).
Mix and then pour into the smart mold that you have greased and coated with breadcrumbs.
This way, the breadcrumbs will stick to the surface of the tart, making it really tasty!
Remember, the mold is essential for the success of this tart, which is inverted and filled after baking.
Level the mixture with a spatula and then bake in a preheated static oven at 340°F for about 35 minutes, or fan-assisted for 25-30 minutes.
The cooking time varies depending on the oven used; always perform the toothpick test after the indicated time.
Once baked, remove the soft tart from the oven, and after about ten minutes, invert the mold onto a wire rack to dry it from moisture.
Once cooled, you can place the tart on a nice serving plate. Fill the base with stracchino (at the end of the article, you’ll find possible substitutions).
Decorate with well-washed cherry tomatoes cut in half, olives (green or black), corn kernels, pistachio crumbs, and smoked salmon.
If you want to make salmon roses, simply cut it into vertical strips not too thick and roll them up on themselves.
You can take inspiration from my decoration, but feel free to unleash your creativity!
I’m sure you will create little masterpieces of deliciousness and impress everyone at the table!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Come back soon to visit me!
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All rights reserved
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How can I substitute stracchino?
Instead of stracchino, we can use sweet Gorgonzola, robiola, or fresh spreadable cheese, with a ricotta and pesto mousse to recall the pesto used in the dough. Or with mascarpone, crescenza, quark, etc.
What can I use instead of smoked salmon?
We can replace smoked salmon with cold cuts of our choice. For example, mortadella pairs perfectly with stracciatella or burrata. Or salami, cooked or raw ham. Bresaola goes well with arugula and stracchino, etc.
What can I use instead of pistachio crumbs?
We can use almond crumbs or knife-chopped walnuts.
What vegetarian pairing would you recommend?
For a vegetarian soft savory tart, we can use previously cooked vegetables, such as grilled zucchini or eggplant on a base of stracchino or spreadable cheese of choice. With sautéed mushrooms or peppers cooked in a pan and mozzarella balls. Or potatoes and smoked scamorza to be baked again. Or with pickled or oil-preserved vegetables.
How long does a soft tart keep?
If not filled immediately, it can be placed in a food bag so it doesn’t dry out and filled the next day. Once filled, we can place it in the fridge, well covered, for a couple of days. Or it can be frozen, without filling and provided fresh products are used, for about three months.
