As requested by Courtney, here is the tomato tart recipe:2 large servings
3/4 lbs heirloom tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt
1/4 lb chilled puff pastry dough (in the frozen section at the grocery store...I used 1 sheet)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon chopped basil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the tomatoes until the skins start to curl, 30 seconds; transfer to a plate and let cool*. Peel the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the tomatoes on both sides with the sugar and season with salt. Transfer to a rack and let drain for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silpat). On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry 1/8 inch thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 2 desired free form shapes (or use a circular cutter...but its much more rustic free form!). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 5 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed.
Pat the tomato slices dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the baked pastry puffs with 1/2 of the grated cheese and arrange the sliced tomatoes on top, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Dot the tomatoes evenly with the butter and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake the tarts for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer, until the pastry is richly browned and the tomatoes have shrunken slightly. Let the tarts cool for at least 5 minutes, garnish with basil and serve. Enjoy =)
I topped the tarts with a little arugula, ricotta salata, olive oil and lemon juice, so it was like a salad on top.
* You can skip the whole blanching step for the tomatoes if you invest in this nifty serrated peeler. Looks just likes a veggie peeler, but it has a serrated blade, which lets you peel fresh tomatoes and peaches just like you would a carrot! I never have to blanch again with this little puppy.
4 comments:
yes this sounds amazing. and so does that little tomato/peach peeler!
so...is there something bad about blanching? just a pain? i LOVE new gadgets.
nothing bad about blanching, just you have to dirty a pot, wait for water to boil, it takes a little time, versus just peeling the dang tomato right there =)
Not blanching keeps the fruit and vegetables firm, especially helpful when the fruit is ripe. Blanching a ripe peach or tomato can also lead to loss of some of the meat of the fruit. Plus blanching does cook the product a bit which changes texture, even if is just the outer most part. Nothing worse the a mealy tomato or slimy peach. I made all my cooks at Kimera get the peeler.
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