Banana Pepper & Goat Cheese Tart
A golden, buttery tart layered with goat cheese, banana peppers and lots of scallions, then finished with basil, chives and zucchini blossoms. Simple and summery!
This savory tart is something I threw together with all the odds and ends of a recent farmers’ market haul - herbs, scallions, a few banana peppers, zucchini blossoms, and some goat cheese. All that yellow - that’s me hanging on to summer! I keep pie dough in the freezer, especially this time of year, for impromptu tarts and pies, and because of that, this tart came together in no time. Highly recommend.
Why This Tart is So Simple
This isn’t a custard tart. It’s simply a market tart, where ingredients are piled onto a rolled-out piece of dough and baked once until deeply golden. You don’t have to par-bake the crust, and you don’t have to worry about the filling setting before the crust gets too dark. The process is a lot like making homemade pizza. Add your favorite toppings and bake. I like to eat a wedge of tart like this one alongside a bright, fresh, leafy salad.
Banana Pepper & Goat Cheese Tart: Ingredients
- Banana Peppers: I jump on banana peppers whenever I see them, but they can be tricky to find. They have a little bite and add a fantastic zip to whatever you’re making - tart, pizza, salad, etc. Swap in another pepper you enjoy if banana peppers are elusive. I picked up some gorgeous, mild Cornito Giallo peppers the other day as well - or even a yellow bell pepper would work! Can you use the pickled banana peppers in jars? Sure! They’ll be tangier than fresh peppers, but equally fun to experiment with on tarts like this one.
- Zucchini Blossoms: Grab a few if you see them. They’re so special and beautiful, and I cut them into ribbon-like flecks here. If you can’t find them, just add another herb you like, or another edible flower - nasturtium or basil flowers would be nice!
- Herbs: I opted for chives and basil, but if you can imagine another herb working well with goat cheese, by all means, go for it.
- Goat cheese: I like using creamy, spreadable cheeses for tarts like this one. Labneh is another favorite in this sort of tart.
Shaping the Tart
The whole goal with a tart like this one is minimal fuss. And this includes shaping. You can bake it in a plan if you like but more often a free-form shape is in order. You can fold over the edges of your dough into a galette shape, or do what I've done here - fold the edge of the pie dough onto itself and then do a deep crimp using the thumb and pointer finger on one hand and the pointer finger on the other - see photo above.
I skipped the freezer step on this one (above), and you can see the issue. My crimping lost its definition, but aside from that it was really tasty and hit the lunchtime mark.
More Tart Recipes
- Cherry Tomato Tart with Burnt Scallion Ricotta
- Mushroom Hand Pies
- All Butter Flaky Pie Crust
- Rustic Tomato Tart
- Peach Hand Pies
- Sourdough Galette with Delicata Squash
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Banana Pepper & Goat Cheese Tart
See the above ingredient notes for substitution ideas. This tart is meant to be quite adaptable! This is the all-butter pie crust I like to use for many of my pies and tarts.
- 1 pie crust, enough for one bottom crust
- 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 3 scallions, including green tops, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 medium banana peppers, sliced into thin rings
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 zucchini blossoms, sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
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Heat oven to 375°F / 190°C. Racks in the top and bottom third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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If your dough has been chilling overnight allow it to sit at room temperature for a bit before rolling out - 10 - 15 minutes, or so. Lightly flour your work surface, hands, and rolling pin, and roll the pie dough out to 1/8-inch thick. You’re going to want to turn the pie dough clockwise after every few passes with the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Flour more as needed.
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Transfer the dough onto the parchment-line baking sheet by gently wrapping it around a rolling pin and unrolling it across your pan. Working quickly so your dough doesn’t warm. Arrange the goat cheese across the tart, gently smearing it a bit as you go to get coverage. Sprinkle with most of the scallions, and all of the banana peppers. Fold the edge over itself by about 3/4-inch and crimp using your fingers. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden, crisped, and beautiful. Allow to cool a bit, and enjoy topped with the remaining scallions, the chives, basil, and zucchini blossoms.
Serves 8.
Related Recipes
Cherry Tomato Tart with Burnt Scallion Ricotta
This cherry tomato tart starts with an all-butter crust spread with a thin swipe of chili crisp, then filled with ricotta folded with deeply roasted scallions and fresh chives. A generous layer blistered cherry tomatoes tops the ricotta, and a final scattering of toasted almonds brings added crunch. Bake this tart, share with friends!
Sourdough Galette with Delicata Squash
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Mushroom Hand Pies
Savory pie people, these mushroom hand pies are for you. Mushrooms, charred scallions, sesame, and miso come together in these portable pockets of deliciousness. You get creaminess from a bit of cheese, and each bite delivers the magic of a golden, flaky pie crust.
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