Quick savory tart, baked in the oven or air fryer. Forget long preparations: this savory tart base is incredibly soft, easy to make and gives you a show-stopping dish in a few minutes.
For those who don’t know it yet, this special pan makes a sweet or savory base with a practical hollow inside to be filled with the most tempting fillings.
Whether you use a conventional oven or the air fryer, the result will always be the same: a golden, soft and fragrant base that will win everyone over at the first bite.
You know those evenings when you want to put something beautiful and impressive on the table but have zero time (or desire) to knead? Here’s the solution.
This Soft Savory Tart is my ace up the sleeve. It’s prepared in one bowl, without making a mess, and is ready to bake in 5 minutes.
The secret is the ‘smart pan’: that step at the base creates the perfect space to hold creams, cold cuts or sautéed vegetables. The texture?
A cloud that melts in your mouth thanks to the vegetable oil and milk.
The perfect base for your buffets or for a quick appetizer, this is the definitive recipe.
With only 2 eggs and a few pantry staples, you’ll get a soft and elastic shell, ideal for filling.
You can fill it in a thousand ways: from the classic ‘ricotta and spinach’ to a gourmet version with mortadella mousse and chopped pistachios. It’s soft, fragrant and makes a great centerpiece!
Try it and you won’t go back.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8 Servings
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 192.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 14.61 (g) of which sugars 0.79 (g)
- Proteins 5.69 (g)
- Fat 12.80 (g) of which saturated 3.58 (g)of which unsaturated 8.82 (g)
- Fibers 0.50 (g)
- Sodium 287.87 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 45 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Quick savory tart – oven and air fryer
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tbsp Parmesan
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (for savory preparations)
- 1 pinch salt
- pepper
- as needed butter (to grease the pan and a dusting of flour)
Tools
- Mold
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Air fryers
Steps
Quick savory tart – oven and air fryer
In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt, pepper and the two tablespoons of grated cheese. Slowly add the oil and milk while whisking by hand.
Add the sifted flour with the baking powder. Mix well until the batter is smooth, glossy and free of lumps.
Pour the batter into a previously greased and floured “smart pan” (the one with the step).
ELECTRIC OVEN: 356°F for 20-25 minutes.
AIR FRYER: 320°F for 15-18 minutes.(Tip: if the surface gets too dark, cover with foil for the last 5 minutes).
Once removed from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes before turning it out: the smart pan will magically create the perfect hollow for your filling.
The pepper and cheese in the batter make it so tasty you might eat it warm as is, but with a smear of cream cheese and some cold cuts it becomes unbeatable.
Enjoy your meal
Tips
Because this batter contains cheese, it tends to stick a bit more. If you don’t want to risk breaking the fluted edge (which is the prettiest part!), use a nonstick spray or brush the pan with melted butter and flour, making sure to get into every groove.
Moistening: If you plan to serve it after a few hours, lightly brush the hollow created by the smart pan with a bit of milk or an oil-and-water emulsion. This will keep it moist like a savory pastry.
Unlike sweet sponge cakes, here you don’t need to incorporate a lot of air with electric beaters. Use a hand whisk: the batter should be fluid and dense so it won’t form large bubbles on the surface and will remain smooth.
If you use ingredients that release water (like tomatoes or mozzarella), add them only at the last moment.
For the bottom, always use a “moisture barrier” like cream cheese, mayonnaise, pesto or olive pâté.
Storage
In the fridge: Keeps very well for 2 days if covered with plastic wrap.
In the freezer: You can freeze the baked base (empty)! When needed, thaw at room temperature and reheat for 2 minutes in the oven or air fryer: it will come back as if freshly made.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Low Glycemic Index Version?
Eggs: 2 medium
Sunflower (vegetable) oil: 5 tbsp — Replace with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): olive polyphenols help glycemic control.
Whole milk: 1/3 cup — You can use whole milk (the GI is lower due to the fats) or unsweetened soy drink.
Flour: Replace the 1 1/4 cups (150 g) of all-purpose flour with a mix:
About 7/8 cup (100 g) whole wheat flour (or Type 2 stone-ground)
About 1/2 cup (50 g) almond flour (dramatically lowers the overall GI and keeps the base moist)
Grated cheese: 2 heaping tbsp — Perfect, adds protein and fat that lower the meal’s glycemic impact.
Baking powder: 1 1/4 tsp
Salt and Pepper: to taste
To keep the dish low GI, I recommend filling it with:
Proteins: Smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, bresaola or grilled tofu.
Good fats: Sliced avocado or nut cream.
Lots of fiber: Arugula, fresh baby spinach or grilled zucchini.
One tip… Did you know that letting wholegrain baked goods cool helps starch retrogradation, making them even gentler on blood sugar? Enjoy it warm or cold!
