I’m a southern girl through and through and if you say tomato pie I will hunt you down to get a slice. But I am here to tell you, this one is the closest second best.

This, like the majority of what I do when I jump in the kitchen, is put together. Sometimes its a bust, but the times it works, it reeeally works. I used a savory pie dough recipe. Creamed together goat cheese and roasted garlic, mint, and oregano. Topped with olive oil and lemon roasted eggplant, toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of mangrove honey.

Fairytale Eggplant Tart

Ingredients:

For Savory Pie Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh chives chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons ice-cold water

For Filling:

• 5-8 fairy tale eggplant, sliced long
• 1 log (12-16 oz) goat cheese, softened
• 1 head of roasted garlic (roast in the oven until cloves are soft)
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons mangrove honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Savory Pie Dough:

1. In a food processor, combine flour, cold butter cubes, salt, and chives. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
3. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Roll out the chilled pie dough on a floured surface and transfer it to a tart pan. Trim the excess dough.
3. In a bowl, mix together goat cheese, roasted garlic (squeezed from the cloves), chopped mint, and chopped oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread the goat cheese mixture evenly over the pie crust.
5. In a separate bowl, toss the eggplant slices with olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
6. Arrange the seasoned eggplant slices on top of the goat cheese mixture in an attractive pattern.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the eggplant is tender.
8. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with mangrove honey.
9. Allow the tart to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

It’s a perfect combination of savory and sweet flavors with a touch of Mediterranean inspiration.