Zucchini Tart

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, sugar, xanthan gum and salt.
2. Add the cold cubed butter and toss it in the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it's about the size of walnut halves.
3. Gradually add the cold water, about 1 tablespoon at a time. After each addition, use your fingertips or a fork to toss the mixture around so that the flour gets evenly hydrated.
4. Continue adding the water and tossing the mixture until all the flour has been hydrated and the mixture starts clumping together in places. It might still look crumbly at this point.
5. Tip: Depending on your gluten free flour blend, you might need slightly more or less water than is listed in the recipe. If there are any patches of dry flour, sprinkle them with some extra cold water.
6. Bring the pie dough together into a ball by giving it a gentle knead and pressing it against the sides of the bowl. Your dough won’t look perfectly smooth at this stage – it will look slightly “shaggy” and uneven, with a few cracks here or there. Be careful not to overwork it, as that can cause the butter to start melting due to the heat from your hands, which can reduce the flakiness of the final pastry.
7. Wrap the pie dough in plastic wrap/cling film, and chill it in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes.

Laminating the pie dough - two letter folds:

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled pie dough into a long rectangle about 5-6mm thin. The exact dimensions of the rectangle aren’t important, aim for a length that’s about three times the width.
2. First letter fold: Fold one third of the rectangle towards the centre and then fold the other third over it (as you would a letter).
3. Rotate the folded pastry by 90 degrees, so that the open ends point towards and away from you, and roll it out again into a long rectangle.
4. Second letter fold: Fold one third of the rectangle towards the centre and then fold the other third over it (as you would a letter).
5. Wrap the finished pie dough tightly in cling film/plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes before rolling it out and assembling the tart. (You could also prepare the pie crust a day or two in advance.)
6. In a large bowl, toss together the sliced zucchini and the salt. Cover the bowl and allow it to stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. The salt will draw out the moisture from the zucchini, you should see liquid gathering at the bottom of the bowl.
7. Just before you're ready to start assembling the tart, squeeze out as much of the excess moisture from the zucchini as you can, and transfer the zucchini slices to a separate bowl or plate. Set aside until needed.

Cream cheese filling:

1. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, lemon zest, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined. At this point, you can taste the filling and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Assembling & baking the zucchini tart:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. You will need a large baking sheet, set it aside until needed.
2. Tip: Baking the tart on the lower middle oven rack ensures that the bottom of the pastry will be perfectly crisp and golden, without any sogginess whatsoever.
3. Lightly flour a large sheet of parchment/baking paper and place the chilled pie crust in the centre. If it's been in the fridge for several hours or overnight, leave it out on the counter at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it's more pliable (to prevent cracking during rolling).
4. Roll it out into a roughly 25x35cm rectangle. You can trim the edges to make it neater, if you wish.
5. Spread on the cream cheese filling in an even layer, leaving a roughly 2.5cm border free of any filling.
6. Arrange the sliced zucchini on top in a fairly even layer and fold the edges of the pie crust over the filling, overlapping the pastry as necessary.
7. You can arrange the zucchini as neatly or as haphazardly as you wish.
8. Use a pastry brush to lightly dab the olive oil all over the zucchini layer and egg wash the pastry border. At this point, you can also sprinkle the pastry with some sesame seeds and flaky sea salt, if you wish.
9. Slide the assembled zucchini tart together with the parchment/baking paper onto the baking sheet.
10. Bake on the lower middle oven rack at 200ºC for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is light golden.
11. After 30 minutes, remove the tart out the oven and scatter the grated parmesan cheese all over the filling.
12. Return it to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until the pastry is evenly deep golden brown.
13. Allow the tart to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. You can enjoy it hot, warm or at room temperature.
14. Tip: I recommend sliding the baked tart off the parchment/baking paper and onto a wire rack while it cools – this prevents the bottom from becoming soggy from the steam.