Roasted asparagus, plum tomato and freshly picked wild watercress Challah Tart. A layer of challah dough topped with chopped tomatoes and wild watercress picked along the East Cork Ballycotton Cliff Walk covered with another layer of challah dough and topped with asparagus and plum tomatoes. Seasonal, fresh and delicious!

Directions

Prepare the Challah Dough

1. Dissolve the yeast and teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm water. Once bubbles start to appear, add about a third of the flour, followed by the two eggs, the rest of the sugar, the salt and the oil.

2. Get your hands into the dough and combine the mixture, adding flour little by little as you go, until you get a big ball of dough which doesn’t stick to your hands. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough about for five to 10 minutes, adding a bit of flour if it gets too sticky again, before placing it in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film to rise for about an hour and a half or until it has doubled in size.

For the Vegetables

While the challah dough is rising, prepare the vegetables for the challah tart.

1. Blanche the asparagus in salted, boiling water for two to three minutes.

2. Cut the baby tomatoes in half and drizzle them with the olive oil on a lined baking tray and roast them for 30 minutes in the oven.

Notes:

To clean green asparagus from insects, the tips as well as the triangular side leaves should be cut off and discarded.

Shape and Bake

1. Once the challah dough has risen, knock back the dough to get the air out of it and roll it out long and flat using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut three long thin strips of dough (about three to five centimeters wide) and cut a large rectangle out of the remaining dough. Attach the ends of the three long strips of dough together and braid them into a usual three-strand braid. Then wind the braid around the edges of the flat dough rectangle like a frame around a picture. This will give you the base for your challah tart.

3. Have fun arranging your asparagus and roasted baby plum tomatoes in the centre of your tart. See the photo for inspiration.

4. Leave the tart to rise again for 30 minutes covered with a clean cloth or cling film.

5. Egg wash the challah dough using egg white, drizzle the olive oil on top of the vegetables and sprinkle the basil and oregano on top of the tart. Bake the challah for 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) at the bottom of the oven.

Notes:

If using enough flour, don’t forget to separate challah.