My Facebook news feed is generally filled with fun things that my friends are doing. When a “Suggested Post” (aka – annoying ad) shows up, I usually click Hide Ad because I hate seeing them.

Every once in a while, however, there is an ad that I like.  That was the case recently when the Food Network had a video for “Rainbow Rose Veggie Tart” that showed up on my new feed.  It sure looked tasty, so I wanted to give it a try. The original recipe can be found at Food.com.

After reading some of the reviews, I did decide to alter the recipe.  The two main criticisms of the recipe were (1) the veggies were too stiff and (2) the cheese tart was too bland.

To reduce the stiffness of the vegetables, I precooked them in water for six minutes in the microwave.  This resulted in soft, easy to roll veggie slices.  To change the flavor, I decided to add some of the spices that I normally use when making quiche. The spices added a nice taste to the tart.  The original recipe called for varied colored carrots. However, I found that the purple carrots lost their color in the precooking.  Next time, I think I will try eggplant instead of purple carrots.  I think they will keep their color better and add some additional flavor to the recipe.

So here is my version of the recipe.

Veggie Tart
1 sheet Puff Pastry
15 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon oregano
carrot, peeled
zucchini
broccoli

1. Unfold a puff pastry sheet and roll thin before placing in a tart or quiche pan. Place parchment paper in the center and weight it down with beans or pie weight (I actually used a glass pie plate, which worked very well).
2. Bake the tart base in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper. Let it cool.
3. In a bowl, mix the cheeses, eggs, and spices until smooth.
4. Slice strips carrots length-wise using a potato peeler or a mandolin. Place the slices in a bowl of water and cook in the microwave for 6 minute. This step will soften the slices and make them much easier to roll.
5. Slice strips of zucchini and eggplant length-wise.
6. Cut broccoli heads into small pieces.
7. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the tart base.
8. Take one slice of a vegetable and roll it up very tightly—this will form the core of the rose. For the carrots, take another slice and keep rolling. With around 2-3 slices you should obtain a decent-size rose bud. A single slice of the zucchini and eggplant is sufficient to make a nice looking rosebud. Place the buds in the tart, pushing it down into the cheese. Keep rolling roses of different colors and place them in the cheese mix.
9. Bake the tart at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!