Summer Tomato Tart Preparation: 40 minutes plus chilling time 6 servings
1 cup all-purpose flour Baking time: about 67 minutes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
2 large egg yolks mixed with 2 Tbsp ice-cold water
vegetable oil spray
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
100 grams Swiss, aged Gouda or other tangy cheese, grated
5-6 ripe small to medium tomatoes, (choose a mix of at least 2 colours), cut ½" wedges
1/4 cup nicoise olives, pitted
1 tsp herbes de Provence
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the flour and salt in a bowl. With a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingertips, work the shortening into the flour until thoroughly blended. Add the egg yolk/water mixture and gently work it in until the dough sticks together. With lightly floured hands, gather the dough into a ball and press into a thick disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Spray a nine-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, lightly with vegetable oil spray.
Unwrap and set the rested dough on a floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough from the centre out into a 12-inch (30-centimetre) round. When rolling, turn the dough an eighth of a turn after each roll; this will help create a round shape. Sprinkle additional flour on the rolling pin and under the dough as necessary.
Carefully fold the rolled dough in half and lay it across the centre of the pan. Unfold and gently nestle it into the pan. (If the pastry tears during this process, simply press it back together.) Fold over any pastry hanging over the pan to make double-thick sides. Go over the tart pan with a rolling pin to cut off the edges. Chill the tart crust in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, heat the 2 T. olive oil in a skillet set over Medium to Med-High heat. Add the onion and cook until quite tender, about five to seven minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
When the tart crust has fully chilled, preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the onions into the bottom of the crust. Top the onion with the cheese.
Fan the tomato wedges in a fairly tight, overlapping spiral on top of the, cheese. Disperse the olives on top of the tomatoes. Now sprinkle the tart with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.
Bake the tart in the middle of the oven for one hour. Cool on a baking rack to room temperature. Carefully unmould the tart, cut into wedges and serve with extra virgin olive oil on the side so diners can drizzle some on the tart.
Akis
The other one:
Saveur’s Tomato Pie
3 1∕2 lb. vine-ripe tomatoes cored, seeded, and cut into ½ “ dice, divided
2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. sugar, divided
1 tbsp. butter
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced with the grain
1 tsp. picked thyme
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1∕4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1∕3 cup packed whole basil leaves
1∕2 cup mayonnaise
1∕3 cup grated fontina
1∕3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 large Roma or heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced and blotted
Bring the crust to room temperature and lightly butter a 10-inch metal pie pan. Preheat the oven to 400°. Dust your counter and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll the crust slightly larger than your pan. Lay the crust in the pan and press gently into its edges. Cut off the edges that hang over and discard. Freeze for at least 15 minutes or until you're ready to blind-bake.
Lay foil or parchment paper on top of the crust and weigh that down with dried beans or rice. Blind-bake the shell for 30 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil or parchment and bake 5 minutes more. Set the cooked crust aside as you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: Toss half of the diced tomatoes with 1∕2 teaspoon salt and 1∕2 teaspoon sugar. Set them over a colander to drain while you get everything else ready, at least an hour.
Lower your oven to 375°. In a medium sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and then add the onion and 1∕2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat until deeply caramelized. This will take about 45 minutes. If the onion gets away from you and burns a little, add 1∕4 cup of water to the pan, scrape up the overbrowned bits, and keep going. In the end, you have a scant 2∕3 cup caramelized onion.
Toss the remaining diced tomatoes with 1∕2 teaspoon salt, thyme, and olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a sheet tray with as much room separating the individual pieces as possible. Slide the tray onto the middle rack of your oven and roast for 30-35 minutes. You're looking for the tomatoes to dry out and brown slightly.
Once all the individual components are done, stir together the onion, the fresh and roasted diced tomatoes, the remaining salt, sugar, black pepper, and basil.
Make the topping and finish the pie: In a separate, smaller bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, fontina, and Parmigiano. Spoon the filling into your blind-baked crust. Top with the cheese mixture and tomato slices. Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 minutes. You can serve this warm or at room temperature. Both have their virtues.
And finally:
Lydie Marshall's from her Provence cookbook. It has a thin spread of Dijon mustard over the bottom crust.
I think lots of them are good, just depends...............
