Ping Gai Chicken - Laotian "Grilled Chicken Chicken"

This spring vegetable tart only looks hard to make, and would be a perfect centerpiece for any special occasion meal, just as long as you put it out on the table a little bit early, since we’ll need to allow enough time for all the Instagramming that follows. And please, no flash photography.

As long as you use a wide array of colorful vegetables, and tuck them into a gnarly base of greens, this easy cheese tart/salad can’t help but look gorgeous. In fact, the hardest things will be deciding which vegetables to use, and how to prepare them.

As I said in the video, you can go with anything from raw to roasted, but my favorite way to prep the vegetables, is to simply blanch them briefly in boiling, salted water. Just cook them for a few minutes to take off the raw edge, and then plunge them into cold water, before draining, and dressing.

Above and beyond the veggies, this cheese filling will work with any soft cheese, but I think the tanginess of the goat cheese is an important factor, so if you use something milder, you may want to sneak in some lemon juice. Regardless, of what specific ingredients you use, I really hope you give this gorgeous vegetable tart technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for a 10-inch round Spring Vegetable Tart:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (round or rectangular)

(This tart can be made with any type of shell, including piecrust, phyllo, etc.)

1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water (for brushing, and then for the filling)

For the filling:

1 1/4 cups goat cheese

salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste

1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs, like dill, parsley, thyme, tarragon, basil, chives, etc.

the rest of the egg wash

1/4 cup heavy cream

For the vegetables:

2 handfuls mixed colorful salad greens (including something light and frizzy if possible)

2 to 3 cups of bite-sized fresh vegetables, briefly blanched in salted water

1/2 cup thinly sliced raw radishes, and cherry tomatoes

For the dressing (this is what I used, but your favorite salad dressing will work):

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

salt to taste

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