Savory tarts are a delicious and impressive addition to any meal. They can be filled with all kinds of ingredients, from cheese and vegetables to meat and seafood. However, making a perfect savory tart can seem intimidating to beginners.

With these 10 steps, you’ll be making savory tarts like a pro in no time with the guidance of Dina Nikolaou, a famous chef in Greece.

Step 1: Choose Your Pastry

The first step to creating a delicious savory tart is choosing the right pastry. You can use either shortcrust or puff pastry for your tart.

Shortcrust pastry is great for tarts with a lot of filling, while puff pastry is perfect for tarts with fewer ingredients and a more delicate texture. Select the pastry as per your preference and the ingredients you are going to use in your tart.

Step 2: Butter Your Tart Pan

Once you have your pastry ready, butter the tart pan lightly. You can also use oil to grease it if you prefer. This helps prevent the pastry from sticking to the bottom of the pan and makes it easier to remove the tart once it’s cooked.

Step 3: Roll Out the Pastry

Roll out the pastry, so it’s large enough to cover the tart pan. It should be thin enough, so you can see through it, but not so thin that it tears. This may take some practice but with time rolling out pastry will become easy for you.

Lift the rolled-out pastry gently into the prepared tart pan, and press it down to fit the base and sides. Remove the excess overhang with a sharp knife.

Step 4: Prick the Pastry

Take a fork and prick the base of the pastry. This helps prevent the pastry from puffing up and forming air pockets during baking. It also allows steam to escape, so the pastry stays crisp rather than soggy.

Next, you’ll need to blind bake the pastry. This means baking the pastry without any filling. To do this, line the pastry with baking paper and fill it with baking weights or dried beans. Bake it for about 10 minutes at 180°C (350°F).

Remove the weights and baking paper and bake the pastry for a further 5-10 minutes until it’s lightly golden. This is called “blind baking,” and it helps prevent the filling from making the pastry soggy.

Step 6: Choose your Fillings

Now comes the fun part – choosing your fillings! You can use any combination of ingredients to fill your tart. Consider incorporating cheeses, vegetables, meats, and even fruits like tomatoes and red berries for a sweet tart.

It’s a good idea to add a sauce as a base before the filling if you want to add more flavors to the tart. Some of the popular choices are pesto, tomato sauce, and grated cheese.

Step 7: Arrange Your Fillings

Arrange the ingredients in your tart in layers, starting with any sauces or spread that you’re using. Then add your fillings, starting with the firmer ingredients and finishing with the softer ones.

You can also top your tart off with extra cheese, nuts or seeds for that added texture.

Step 8: Egg Wash the Pastry

Use a mixture of egg and milk to egg wash the pastry, this will help give it that golden, flaky finish. Brush the egg mixture over the pastry lightly with a pastry brush.

Step 9: Bake Your Tart

Bake your tart at 180°C (350°F) until the filling is cooked, and the pastry is golden brown. This typically takes about 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye on your tart and check to see if it’s ready by inserting a skewer into the center of the tart.

If it comes out clean, the tart is ready to be taken out of the oven.

Step 10: Let it Cool

This is the hardest part of the whole process, but it is important. Once your tart is cooked, let it cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes. After that remove it from the tin carefully with the aid of a knife or a portal spatula.

Let it cool fully on a wire rack before slicing and serving.