Summer Tomato Tart

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

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Recently I reaped the rewards of my mother-in-law getting a bushel of tomatoes. While many of these tomatoes were sliced, salt, and peppered I decide to make a tart with some of them. The butter from the crust played well with the sauteed onions, tomatoes, and Gruyere cheese. Do everyone a favor and use high-quality butter when making the crust.

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups bread flour

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled

1 tsp. Kosher salt

¼ cup water, chilled

Filling

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1½ tsp. Kosher salt

4 large heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced in 1/4" slices

1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded

Flakey sea salt

2 sprigs thyme leaves, fresh

Instructions

Crust

Cube the butter in ¼ cubes.

In a mixing bowl, place the paddle, flour, salt and cubed salt and chilled in the freezer for 15 - 20 minutes.

Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer and blend the ingredients on low until the butter has incorporated into the flour to make crumbs. Think the consistance of sand.

Add the chilled water and continue to mix until the dough has formed a smooth ball. You will think this is not enough water. Be patient, the ball will form.

Once the ball has form, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form into a disc about a 1" thick.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chilled for at least 4 hours.

Remove the disc from the refrigerator, unwrap and roll out into a ⅛" circle.

Fold the dough onto itself and then place inside your tart pan.

Unfold the dough in the tart pan and form the wall. Once the dough has been 90% form, use a floured glass and press the wall in the pan to form a smooth inside and to make sure the dough has pressed into the edges of the pan.

Refrigerate the crust uncovered for at least one hour.

This is point at which you have a pie crust. If you need to blind bake for a quiche or something with a liquidy filling continue to the next step.

Preheat oven to 400°. Place pie weights on dough. I line the pan with alumnimum foil or parchment paper and then fill with dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes; Remove pie weights and then cook for another 5 minutes.

Filling

In a large pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat.

Add the onions and Kosher salt to the pan. Stirring frequently, sautee the onions until they brown and begin to carmelize. Add a bit water if the onions begin to stick.

In the meantime, place the tomato slices on a set of papertowels to allow the tomatoes to dry out a bit.

Spread the onions into tart crust to cover the bottom.

Evenly spread the cheese over the onions.

Arrange the dried tomatoes on the top, destem the thyme over the top of the tomatoes.

Place the tart in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the tomato tart from the oven. As it cools, drizzle the tart with olive oil and sprinkle with flakey sea salt.