Jatz Ham Tart With Parsley Salsa

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Jatz are a staple of Australian entertaining, but there’s more to them than simple filling out a cheese plate. Think about Jatz as an ingredient, not just a cracker, and a world of possibilities opens up. Like this easy-as ham tart, that gets around all that pesky trouble of making and managing pastry.

Servings:8
Occasion:Dinner, Entertaining
Cooking Time:40 mins
Preparation Time:20 mins

Ingredients

325g Jatz crackers
100g unsalted butter, melted
4 egg whites
150g bacon bones*
600ml cream
2 bay leaves
200g triple smoked ham, shaved
6 eggs
2 tsp horseradish cream
150g shredded mozzarella
sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
2 bunches parsley, very finely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
2 tsp balsamic vinaigrette

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180C. Put the Jatz crackers in a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Add the butter and egg whites, pulse again, then spoon into a 24cm fluted tart tin, press well to make an even crust, then refrigerate until firm.

Step 2

Line the tart with baking paper and foil, then fill with baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the lining and bake for a further 3 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, put the bacon bones, cream and bay leaves in a medium saucepan with 125ml water and set over a moderate heat. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into the jug of a blender.

Step 4

Add the ham, eggs and horseradish, then purée until very smooth.

Step 5

Stir the cheese into the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. While hot, pour into the tart shell. Reduce the oven to 160C, then bake for 20 minutes, until just set. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Mix the parsley, tomatoes, onions and balsamic vinaigrette and serve with the tart.

Notes