Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tomato and Cantal Tart

The title of this post is a lie. That is the correct title of the tart found in The Modern Baker which I continue to enjoy, but my tart was made with other cheeses. I went to Whole Foods in search of some cantal cheese, and they had none. What they did have was an incredibly helpful person at the cheese counter. I really should have learned his name. He offered me multiple samples of alternate cheeses, and when I was still unsure, he went in the back to grab a cheese reference book. Together, we looked at the description of cantal, and I really should have learned the title of that book. At any rate, the person whose name I don’t know read aloud from the book, with a title I don’t know, a description of cantal’s flavors. This book suggested that the flavor of cantal is best copied by blending laguiole and cheddar. Laguiole is an earthy, slightly salty and pleasantly pungent cheese, and a clothbound cheddar from Grafton Village lended a calmer milkiness with less of an edge. I was offered samples of each and was finally ready to make a decision. In the end, I spent an inordinate amount of time choosing some cheese for such a simple tart.

The no-roll, flaky dough as it’s called was made in a food processor, and it was patted into a tart pan. The dough was chilled in the pan overnight, and it could have sat in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Once I was ready to bake, some dijon mustard was spread on the bottom of the uncooked crust. The cheeses I selected were shredded, and half of the shredded pile was placed on the mustard. Sliced heirloom tomatoes went on the cheese, and the remaining cheese was placed on the tomatoes. Only black pepper seasoned the tart because Malgieri explains in the recipe that salt could cause the tomatoes to become watery while baking. The tart baked for about 30 minutes and then a little extra virgin olive oil was drizzled on top.

Before serving, fresh basil leaves were to be placed on the tart. You’ll want to let the tart cool some or the basil leaves will quickly turn brownish black. This tart of few ingredients is all about the ripeness and perfection of the tomatoes. The crust, baked to a barely-golden yet crisp state and the carefully selected cheeses were really there to accent the tomatoes. While I hesitated too long and clearly fretted about my final cheese decision, the kind man at Whole Foods said in an encouraging voice “you know what, the tart is going to be delicious.” And, you know what, he was right.




29 comments:

  1. Lisa, that tart looks beautiful and decadent. I love that you went to lengths (with the cheese guy) to blend some cheeses to get as close to cantal as you could. I'm shocked WF didn't have any, as I don't think I've ever had trouble finding anything there, no matter how rare or hard to find it is.

    Finally, dosas ARE awesome..with GHEE and fillings that aren't vegan restricted..LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, this tart look so perfect and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never seen cantal cheese. I love this cookbook. I should pull it out and make this tart.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A perfect combo! Your tart is very appetizing!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  5. They look like pizza toppings in a tart. I like it :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love it when the people in the shop actually help you wit making tough decisions! :) And whatever the cheese content of your tart, they sure came out looking like perfection!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is absolutely mouth watering yum... i must try this tart :) Love the combination of ingredients!!
    cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  8. now all I can think about is making this tart as soon as possible - there go my plans for a productive day, I just have to make this instead!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the cheese-shopping story :). It's great to find these dedicated professionals, sadly it happens too rarely. And the tarte looks mouth watering. By the description of the cheeses - I would love it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. cantal or no cantal this tart still looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  11. A great combination of flavors, gorgeous tart!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I' haven't tried cantal cheese yet. I'll have to check if my Whole Foods has it. Either way this looks great even with the use of different cheeses. Looks like a pizza in a way.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've never heard of Cantal cheese. But this looks incredibly delicious!! Just perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  14. LOL, I love a story that starts with -"this title is a lie" :) I am glad you went through the trouble to get the right cheese, the tart does look delicious! I've got to look for Cantal cheese, but if WH doesn't carry it, I am stuck.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've been eyeing this tart, too, in that cookbook. Have not made it. But yours looks so fabulous, I might just have to hurry up and bake one before heirloom tomatoes disappear for the year.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @lisamichele, lately they haven't had most of the cheeses I've been looking for, maybe because they are ethnic, like some Mexican, or Greek stuff, but they are very helpful so I still love WF.

    ReplyDelete
  17. this is a gorgeous photo love your blog. what sort of a camera do you use? (it's more about the person behind the lens rather than the camera itself, for sure, but is it a dSLR?

    ReplyDelete
  18. So beautiful! It really can't help but be fabulous with those yummy tomatoes!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love Cantal cheese. I usually it out of hand. It has a salty, buttery, nutty and liquorice-y taste, Yum! The tart looks to die for with the melted Cantal oozing out.
    I've always been a big fan of Malgieri's pastries. Perfect! Looks like it comes from a Parisian boulangerie

    ReplyDelete
  20. SOS: Thanks so much! I use a Canon Rebel xSi with the 18-55mm lens that came with it and a Sigma 50mm macro lens.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don't think I've ever tried Cantal cheese but your tart does look delicious so I should try and have a hunt for some (and the cheese hunting will be enjoyable in itself)! :D

    ReplyDelete
  22. who knew whole foods had a cheesemonger on staff? :) i've never heard of cantal, and this post just goes to show how little i know about cheese in general. it IS a lovely tart, though!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful tart, and aren't cheese-mongers so passionate and knowledgeable! I have considered it as a living before...

    ReplyDelete
  24. oh man... beautiful and tasty looking. Gotta try to make this to impress girls ;)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I agree with the man in the whole food market.. this looks delicious Lisa. I have never heard of cantal. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  26. I haven't even heard of cantal cheese before. It looks amazing with that fresh basil on top - YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Any tomato and cheese combination will work. This looks really great.

    ReplyDelete
  28. That looks delicious. Thanks for sharing. It sounds like the good thing is that one could even try different types of cheese for different effects. I love the fact that it's a no-roll dough made in the food processor, too. I'll have to hang on to this recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh my, this tart looks incredibly yummy!

    ReplyDelete

Blogging tips