Tarte Tatin de Courgettes au Chèvre

This is a savoury version of the classic Tarte Tatin, so it's cooked upside down. Using ready-made pastry it's quick to do and is bound to go down well on a summer buffet or picnic.

1 round of puff pastry around 250g ready-made, ideally with butter not hydrogenated fats, 5 courgettes, 400g fresh soft goat's cheese, such as Petit Billy, 2 shallots, 1 clove garlic, 9 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence, salt, pepper.

Peel and finely chop the shallots. Peel and crush garlic. Wash the courgettes and with a peeler peel of the skin only every few centimetres (roughly 3 strips of skin removed and 3 left on). Cut them into cubes. In a pan heat the oil over medium heat and saute the courgettes with the garlic for about 8 minutes. Scatter the Herbes de Provence over them and set aside.

In a bowl mix the cheese, shallots, cumin and 2 tbsp. of the olive oil with salt and pepper to a smooth paste. Oil a mould suitable for Tarte Tatin (mustn't leak) with the rest of the oil, put the courgettes on the bottom of the tin and spread the cheese mixture evenly over them. Cover with the pastry, pushing it down the sides with your fingers. Bake for roughly 20 minutes at 210ºC. Unmould upside down straight out of the oven and serve immediately.

Illustrations by Alice Ray