Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Herbed Tomato Tart

There were two tomato tarts vying for my attention. One of them was small and round and beautiful with various colors of cherry tomatoes on top. It was made with homemade pastry. The other was a delectable, large rectangle covered with red cherry tomatoes and herbs. That one was built on a base of store-bought puff pastry. In the end, my laziness won out, and using puff pastry from the store was the deciding factor. I did find a pretty mix of colorful, local, cherry tomatoes, so I achieved the look of the other tart somewhat. This herbed tomato tart is from The New Comfort Food. The simple look of the tomato topping belies the hidden combination of flavors. Before the tomatoes were placed on the tart, shredded parmigiano cheese was added and baked onto the pastry layer. Also, you'd never pick out the singular taste of anchovies here since they were finely chopped and tossed with the tomatoes before roasting, but they add an addictive, savory note. With rich, buttery pastry, sweet, roasted tomatoes, and the hidden umami of the cheese and anchovies, this tart tasted even better than expected.

Since I chose to make this out of laziness, it's obviously not difficult to prepare, but there are three steps to the process. First, two sheets of puff pastry were fitted into a sheet pan, docked and weighted to prevent puffing, and baked for 25 minutes. The pie weights were removed, and shredded parmigiano was spread over the tart shell. It baked for an additional 15 minutes. Then, the cherry tomatoes were tossed with olive oil, finely chopped anchovies, and I added a little minced garlic. The mixture was roasted under the broiler for about 12 minutes, and the pan was shaken a few times while roasting to turn the tomatoes. Last, the tart shell was filled with the tomato mixture, chopped basil, chives, and oregano were sprinkled on top, and it was baked for a last and final 15 minutes.

Even though the base of the pastry bakes up thin, and the toppings are mostly just fresh tomatoes and herbs, this is a rich and filling tart. The decadent, buttery, sweet, and savory flavors are perfect with a crisp, light salad, and a glass of wine. I'm glad my laziness got the better of me since I ended up learning the secrets of the hidden, big flavor in this simple tart.



26 comments:

  1. Give it some caramelized onions and you have a pissaladiere!

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  2. A delicious looking tart! So beautiful.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Simple can be sublime. Tomatoes, fresh herbs, a good tart shell and of course a glass of wine.

    Can't stop that shine.

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  4. Such a gorgeous tart! I like that you found and opted for the mixture of colors for the tomatoes - yum.

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  5. Such beautiful color in this treat.

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  6. Lisa, your tomato tart looks beautiful with colorful tomatoes. Yummie!
    Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  7. Lisa, this is one of the most prettiest tomato tarts I've ever seen! Both the colors and the pastry. I love how thin the crust is, yet the sides puff up so well! Great job!

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  8. It may appear easy but you have those few essential tips for us which are so useful! Thanks.

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  9. How cute! This looks just perfect for summer's delicious tomatoes!

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  10. Looks so good. Perfect snack treat.

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  11. This tart looks scrumptious! Everything about it is just perfect; so many of my favorite ingredients. Gorgeous shots too.

    Thanks for sharing. I am definitely going to try this soon.

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  12. Oh my. What gorgeous colors. I love, love, love tomatoes but I don't think I've ever had them in a tart before. I really do want to try this!

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  13. Looks beautiful and must be delicious!
    Perfect for a picnic or eating al fresco.

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  14. This dish looks incredible. The tomatoes look juicy and the crunch of the pastry leaves my mouth watering. I will def try this recipe, the girls would love it. A gorgeous glass of white wine and we have a winner. :) It's so pretty!

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  15. Summer means simple and why do anything complicated when the individual ingredients are so good and flavorful? I am so into both roasted/grilled cherry tomatoes and puff pastry lately and I love your version! This is summer eating at its best!

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  16. Sometimes it's the simple recipes that are the most delicious. This tart looks gorgeous! I love the addition of chopped anchovies- they do add an unmistakeable flavor that really heightens the whole profile.

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  17. Frankly, I think the frozen puff pastry is the greatest thing to happen in the kitchen for quite a while. So many ways to use it and it always looks elegant. Such a time saver, especially ain the summer. Love the tomatoes, Lisa.

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  18. I almost made a tomato tart this past weekend, had a recipe printed out and everything, but didn't have a chance to do it

    Good, because now I really like your use of two colors of tomatoes, and will keep that in mind

    nice post!

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  19. When "laziness" and I don't really call it lazy turns out like this I'm all for it! :D

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  20. Very healthy and look delish too!

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  21. This looks so delicious and colorful and so is the Ice Cream below. You have a wonderful space and going to stare at those lovely clicks for a while.

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  22. Great combination of flavors! I'm not a fan of anchovies, but in very small quantities they really kick up the flavor of a dish. Great photos, Lisa - I can almost smell and taste the tart. :-)

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  23. indeed, it's hard to resist the call of puff pastry... :)
    gorgeous tart, lisa!

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