Vegetable Tart and Short Pastry

Vegetable Tart

Ingredients
1 c julienned leeks
1 c julienned carrots
1 c julienned zucchini
1 tomato, peeled & chopped (optional)
3 eggs
salt, white pepper
2 c heavy cream
freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped basil
Puff Pastry or Short Pastry (see below)

Method
Preheat oven to 350°–400° F (175°–205° C).  Mix the vegetables together (add tomato, if used). Line a 9-inch tart pan with the pastry, rolled thin. Prick with a fork, then arrange the vegetables over the pastry.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add the cream, nutmeg, parsley and basil and mix well. Pour over vegetables. Bake the tart about 30 min or until done. Makes 6 servings.

Short Pastry

Ingredients
4 c flour
1/2 lb (1 c) butter, room temperature
salt
3–4 Tbsp sugar (if sweet pastry)
1 egg
3–4 Tbsp cold water

Method
Put the flour on the work surface. Cut softened butter into large pieces and distribute over flour. Add a pinch of salt (and the sugar, if using). Squeze the butter and flour lightly until well mixed and the texture of cornmeal. Do this quickly and delicately.
Beat the egg with 3 Tbsp water and stir it into the middle of the flour-butter mixture. Lightly squeeze the pastry together with a few quick movements. If too dry, sprinkle on the last tablespoon of  water. Form into a ball. Rest 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Makes pastry for 2–3 8-inch tarts.

Source
Adapted from a recipe card promoting Cooking with Antoine at Le Périgord by Antoine Bouterin with Elizabeth Crossman; an extract from the book.

Comments
Two cups of heavy cream! I wonder if I ever thought I would make this when I saved the recipe. I would like to try it; I’ll bet it’s delicious. The nutmeg–parsley–basil seasoning is a little bit unusual (to my experience) and sounds great. I’m automatically thinking, though, “What can I substitute for most of the cream?” Maybe a bit of cream and mostly milk.
Strange that it doesn’t include onions.
As for the baking, I doubt it would be done in 30 minutes; I wouldn’t be surprised if it has to stay in the oven nearly twice as long. And what’s with the 350 to 400 temperature range, with no explanation of which one to choose?
Why do you have to make the pastry on a flat surface and make a spready mess? Professional pastry chefs always seem to do it that way. I make pastry in a bowl and contain the works.
The pastry differs from the pie pastries I generally make in two main ways: the butter-to-flour ratio is quite a bit lower, and the butter is room temperature and soft instead of cold and hard. I wonder what difference it makes.
The pastry recipe makes “2–3 8-inch tarts” but the pie calls for “1 9-inch tart”. My best guess is that a half recipe of the pastry would be about right for one vegetable tart.