Super Easy: Lattice Pastry Tart with Smoked Salmon, Broccoli, Cream Cheese and Feta
As a Swede, smoked salmon holds a special place in my heart. As a rather expensive ingredient, finding ways to maximise the amount is definitely important to a poor student like me. One fantastic thing about salmon (or fish in general) is that it carries a lot of flavour in a small amount. Despite this pie not having a lot of salmon in relation to vegetables, whilst the veggies add bulk, the delicious, creamy richness of the salmon is still the star.
A pie like this is perfect for a quick dinner, and can be easily adapted make it even better for quick dinners. My personal favourite is the combination of smoked salmon, broccoli and feta. A completely vegetarian option is easily made by omitting the salmon or replacing it with spinach or artichoke hearts. This pie is a big favourite with my family, and my mum has made it several times as an appetiser for a party. Simply slice into smaller pieces and it makes a great party centrepiece. For a full meal I would recommend I light green salad. The puff pastry obviously makes this pie more decadent, but it is kept light by the fresh ingredients.
Pre-bought puff pastry
Half a head of broccoli (boiled)
1 packet of smoked salmon (about 120 grams)
Approximately 4 tbsp of cream cheese
50g of feta cheese cubes
Pepper to taste
1 egg (for wash)
Cooking Time!
- Roll out your puff pastry onto a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cut off about 2 inches of pastry and set aside.
- Cut a square into the pastry so that it looks like a frame.
- Make sure not to use a sharp knife because you do not want to cut all the way through the pastry.
- Using a cooking brush, paint egg wash onto the entire pastry sheet.
- Use a fork to make holes onto the pastry and then bake in the oven at 180C fan for 10 minutes or until the base is lightly golden.
- Check to make sure than the pastry is not rising in the middle; you may need to poke it again whilst it is rising.
- Once the pastry is out of the oven, spread the cream cheese onto it (avoiding the 'frame').
- As long as you have a thin coat that is enough, but you can always add more if you like.
- Then layer on strips of the smoked salmon.
- Then add the cooked broccoli and sprinkle over the feta cheese in small crumbs.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Take the remaining pastry and cut it into 8 strips. Theses may look tiny but I stretched them out and it was fine.
- Two pieces will form the large pieces of the lattice.
- Two halves form the next strips.
- Two quarters form the outer strips.
- Lay the second layer over the first as shown above.
- Use the egg wash to 'glue' down the lattice strips and then 'paint' over the entire lattice.
- Bake the tart in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is nice and golden on top.
Serves 4 people with a side of greens. Approximate cooking time: 40 minutes.
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