Fresh Tomato Tart

The San Marzanos, Yellow Pears, Mr. Stripeys, Black Cherries, and Juliets, keep producing in spite of the heat and lack of rain this summer.

Depending on the variety, we have roasted, sautéed, puréed, blanched, and enjoyed raw on BLTs.  With any luck, Jon will make some tomato paste and we’ll still have enough to dry and store in the freezer for pizzas and pasta this winter.

If you are up to your elbows with tomatoes, especially any variety of roma, now’s the time to make this delicious fresh tomato tart.  My version is an adaption, twice removed, from the book,  “Once Upon a Tart…” by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau (Knopf, 2003)

FOR THE TART CRUST:
1 3/4 cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) semolina flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening

FOR THE FILLING:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (or Trade Lake Cedar from LoveTree Farmstead)
10 – 12 ripe plum tomatoes ends trimmed, very thinly sliced into rounds
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.

To make the dough:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, salt, pepper, and cheese. Pulse two to three times. Add the butter and shortening and process just until the mixture looks a little like cornmeal. 8 to 10 seconds. Don’t over-process or your crust will turn out tough.

Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing between additions. The dough should begin to hold together, but you do not want it to form a ball. This will mean there is too much water. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap.  Pat it into a flattened disk, wrap with the plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the rack in the bottom third of the oven. Have a fluted 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom ready.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Roll out a 15-inch circle of dough and carefully place it in the tart pan.  Fold the overhang back into the pan and pinch to form a ¼-inch rise above the pan.  Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Remove from the freezer and line the bottom and side of the dough with parchment paper.  Fill tart pan with pie weights or dried beans.  Return to the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the weights and parchment paper and allow crust to cool.

To make the topping:

Spread mustard thinly over bottom of cooled shell.  Scatter evenly with cheese.  Arrange tomatoes in even, slightly overlapping rows.  Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, and season to taste with pepper.

Bake until tomatoes begin to shrivel and cheese melts, 10 to 12 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt, and serve hot or at room temperature.