Courgette Flower Tart

Now I think we can all agree that courgette flowers, covered in a crunch tempura, with or without filling is one of life's best joys. I look forward to them so much every year but and without meaning to sound ungrateful, I received LOADS of them from my father in law. Now on the first night I had a bag full I stood in the summer heat frying them, whilst my husband and I had no problem completely demolishing them all but when he came back with a second bag full, and I was already hot and sticky from a stuffy office with no air con I could not bring myself to fry anymore. I gave plenty away but still had some left so I decided to make a courgette flower tart and boy was it as beautiful as it was delicious. To make it you will need:

• Courgette flowers (I do feel a bit of an idiot sometimes writing the obvious)
• Eggs
• A sheet of shortcrust pastry
• Cream or milk
• Nutmeg
• Parmesan
• Salt
• Pepper

Start by very delicately washing your courgette flowers. If they are quite large cut carefully in half. If not leave as they are. Brush with a little olive oil and salt. Set aside. Then mix about 3 eggs with a 1/4 a cup of double cream ideally (but milk will do), then add a handful of parmesan, a good grating of nutmeg and season. You want the mixture to be thick, this is somewhere between a savoury custard and a quiche filling. Use a swiss roll tin or something similar where there is a little edge so when you pour in the mixture it is not going to go everywhere. I would personally spray any tray with PME cake release to ensure it doesn't get stuck. Then put the shortcrust pastry in a hot oven at 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. You want it to cook a bit so it is not dough when you put the mixture on it. Then put the egg mixture on and carefully arrange your courgette flowers and place back into the oven and lower to about 180. You don't want your flowers to burn and for the middle to be uncooked. I would serve this warm rather than hot and it's even good room-temp. Mmmm. Bring on summer.