This past weekend I had my uncles and their families over for lunch. They were supposed to come around 1 and it was 1:15 when I realized that I had forgotten to make the tomato tart. 15 minutes later I was waiting for it to come out of the oven and despite the fact that I rushed the process a little it still turned out well.
The recipe is slightly adapted from Ten Dollar Dinners by Melissa D’Arabian and I have made it many times by now. It makes for an especially lovely summer lunch with a side of lightly dressed baby arugula and is equally good as a ‘snack’ on its own. I usually make it in a tart pan, but on one occasion when my tart pan had run away from home I put it out on a baking sheet and found that I quite like the effect.
You can switch the Parmesan out for goat cheese if you prefer. The mustard flavour is mild at best, my mustard hating sister (Yeah, I know, weirdo) enjoyed the tart and didn't even know there was some Dijon action happening.
The tomatoes are clearly the star here so make sure you get the reddest most beautifully ripe tomatoes you can find!
Tomato Tart
Serves 4 (w a side salad)
One sheet butter puff pastry(10*10) thawed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Roma tomatoes
1 ½ tbsp dried thyme (or preferred combination of herbs)
½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil for drizzling
Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt for seasoning
Preheat your oven to 450 F. Now slice your tomatoes thinly and uniformly and place them on a clean kitchen/dish towel, sprinkle with a little salt and let them be to allow the water to leach out. Don't rush this - no one wants a soggy tart!
Grate your parm and check on the tomatoes 10 – 15 minutes later. Dab them with a clean cloth or paper towel to suck up more extra moisture.
Unfurl your sheet of puff party. If you wish to make a circular tart then press into tart tin and trim excess otherwise just place the sheet of puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet. Smear two tablespoons of Dijon (or more) on the puff pastry and then arrange the tomatoes on in a pretty pattern. Sprinkle with thyme, top with grated parm and bake.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are a lovely crisp brown and the tomatoes are tender. Sprinkle with crushed black pepper and sea salt. This tart is best fresh from the oven.
