Caramelised Garlic Tart

Gather the ingredients.

Roll the puff pastry into a circle to line both the bottom and sides of a 28cm fluted tart tin and line with the pastry. Onto the bottom of the pan, place a large circle of greaseproof paper and fill with a layer of baking beans or rice. Place the tart into the fridge for approx 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake the pastry case for 20 minutes, remove both the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes so the pastry is cooked and golden but not over-browned. Remove from the oven and leave to one side.

While the tart case is cooking, place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a gentle simmer, cook for 3 minutes then drain through a colander or sieve.

Wipe the saucepan dry then add the cloves and olive oil  and fry on a high heat for 2 minutes and no more. Add the balsamic vinegar, water and bring to the boil.  Simmer gently for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes add the sugar, rosemary, chopped thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt and continue  to cook on a medium heat for a further 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a dark caramel syrup. Set aside.

To assemble the tart: break both goat's cheeses into pieces and scatter in the pastry case and spoon over the garlic and any syrup. 

Whisk together the eggs, creams, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper in a jug. Pour over the garlic and cheeses making sure that you can still see both on the surface.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the tart filling has set and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little then take out of tin, lay a few sprigs of thyme on top and serve warm Serve with a crisp salad. If eating later the tart does reheat very well.