The first time I made this Cheddar Cheese and Tomato Tart was during a cold, wet February a few years ago. Knowing that tomatoes from the grocery store in February are notoriously tasteless, I was skeptical, but I was out of time and ideas and needed something vegetarian for a party. I crossed my fingers and tried it out.
To my relief and surprise, the tart was gone before I had a chance to taste it, and someone asked for the recipe the following day. I now make this tart a couple of times a year, especially in the summer when tomatoes are in season. You can use any tomatoes you have on hand, but using different colors makes for a pretty tart. Don’t use cherry tomatoes, though, because they have a higher water content.
Photo by Claudia Alexander
Use different colors of tomatoes to add beauty to a tart.This recipe is adapted from “Pie Squared” by Cathy Barrow, one of two books she has written about pie. The other is “When Pies Fly” and they are both excellent and filled with lots of ideas for slab pies and handmade hand pies, along with many crusts both sweet and savory.
There are lots of tomato tart/pie recipes out there, but what makes this one better is that it includes a cheddar cheese crust and skips extra steps such as roasting the tomatoes, or pre-baking the crust. I have substituted thinly sliced shallots or red onions for the scallions or added mushrooms or substituted feta for the cheddar. You can also add sliced ham or precooked pancetta or bacon.
The real surprise ingredient that gives this tart the surprise tang is mayonnaise, but don’t tell my husband or our daughter — let’s just keep that between you and me.
Finally, one more thing about mayonnaise especially if you have only used mayonnaise for potato salad and sandwiches. It is a useful ingredient to have around and excellent dabbed atop of a piece of uncooked fish before you broil it — it will keep it from drying out.
Claudia Alexander, a resident of Marin County, has been happily cooking for family and friends for more than three decades. She has a weekly food blog, sweetbynurture.com. You can contact her at sweetbynurture@gmail.com.
RECIPE
Cheddar Cheese and Tomato Tart
Serves 6 to 8
Crust:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup pastry flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
12 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes (1 ½ sticks)
1 ounce (about ¼ cup) cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup cold water
Filling:
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 pound tomatoes sliced thinly (not cherry tomatoes)
2 sliced scallions
½ heaping cup of grated sharp cheddar
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of water
Flaky salt for sprinkling on the crust
Instructions
In a large bowl, add both flours and the sea salt. Whisk to combine. Add the butter. Mash the cubes of butter with your finger, distributing it throughout the flour. Add the cheese and toss to combine. Now add the water a bit at a time until the dough starts to come together. Mold into two disks of approximate equal size, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for two hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out one of the chilled disks on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Place it in an 11-inch tart pan with a removeable bottom. Trim the edges, leaving 1/2 inch hanging over the edge.
Put the pan in the fridge while working on the top crust.
Roll the top crust into a 12-inch-by-9-inch rectangle. Put it on a baking sheet and put back into fridge. Now take out the tart pan.
Spread the mayonnaise over the entire bottom of the tart. Place the tomatoes over the top of the mayonnaise in a single layer, cutting the last few bits of tomato to fit in the leftover spaces.
Sprinkle with the cheese and the scallions. Now take out the top crust and place it on a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, cut 10 to 12 long strips of dough, 12-inch long, 1/3-inch wide. To make the lattice crust, start across the middle of the tart; place a piece of dough, twisting it while you lay it across the pie. Work quickly so that the dough doesn’t get too soft. Cover with five to six slices and then turn the tart pan 90 degrees and repeat. Crimp the edges and then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Best eaten at room temperature.
— Adapted from “Pie Squared” by Cathy Barrow
"tasty" - Google News
September 06, 2023 at 02:01AM
https://ift.tt/C9pRImF
Tart puts summer’s tomatoes to tasty use - Marin Independent Journal
"tasty" - Google News
https://ift.tt/hxTFaD5
https://ift.tt/igejWLM
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Tart puts summer’s tomatoes to tasty use - Marin Independent Journal"
Post a Comment