Tomato Tart Two Ways

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "enough with the tomatoes!!" But I can't seem to stop... Bear with me, though, we'll be on to winter squash and root veggies ad nauseum soon enough.

I made these two tomato tarts with a green salad for lunch today. I can't help thinking of this lovely meal as summer's last gasp. The last tomatoes from the garden, the last arugala (I pulled the plants out this morning), the last few heart-breakingly crisp little cukes from our quickly withering vines...

The tarts were inspired by one that our friend, Kali, made for us this summer. The original recipe, which is much simpler than the one below - just pastry, tomatoes, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper, is from Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4: Farm Markets & Gardens - a delicious set of cookbooks.

While the Canal House tart was delightful, I had a hankering for something a tad more substantial and less appetizer-like today. I also had a big hunk of gruyère cheese that was not getting any younger and a simple chevre that I had no other plans for. And since the package of puff pastry I'd bought came with two sheets, I thought, "why not try this tart two ways?" So I made one with the goat cheese and one with the gruyère. But that is where the differences end, otherwise, they were identical.

It's important to use only the best tomatoes -- you want something really sweet and rich for this since the flavor will be first and foremost.

Thankfully, our thyme plant is not bothered by the end of summer (unlike me) and was happy to oblige with a few tender stems.

I am a huge fan of caramelized onions (though to be honest these were not truly caramelized, just sautéed with salt, pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar) so I thought some alliums would make a nice addition, too.

The resulting tarts were mighty toothsome. I loved the addition of the cheese and the sweet onions. My only regret was that I had not thought to scatter some pine nuts on them (so I've added that in the recipe below).

My husband and I were divided in our opinions - I thought the goat cheese version was tastier while he favored the gruyère. It's a fortunate difference of opinion since we each have our eyes on the leftovers of our respective favorites...

Either way, this tart is easy and scrumptious. The puff pastry makes it look and taste decadent with extremely minimal work on your part. Effortless gourmet dining...

-- print recipe --

Tomato Tart
Makes one tart that serves 4-6 as an appetizer or 2-3 as an entree

Ingredients

* 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

* 2 medium or 1 large tomato, cored and sliced (not too thick - you want to avoid too much weight or liquid as it will make the pastry soggy)

* 2-3 branches fresh thyme

* 4 oz goat or gruyère cheese

* 1 large onion, sliced

* Extra-virgin olive oil

* Freshly ground black pepper

* Sea salt

* Handful of toasted pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While you're waiting for the pastry to defrost, sautée the onions in a frying pan in olive oil until translucent. Splash with a little balsamic vinegar and continue to cook another 1-2 minutes.

2. Lay the sheet of puff pastry out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Prick the dough inside the border all over with the tines of a fork to prevent it from puffing up too much during baking.

3. Spread a layer of whichever cheese you choose on the pastry. Top with the onions, then arrange the tomatoes on the pastry in a single layer (crowding or overlapping the tomatoes will make the puff pastry soggy). Strip the branches of thyme, scattering the leaves over the tomatoes. Drizzle the tart with some olive oil and season with pepper. If using gruyère, reserve a little cheese to sprinkle over the top.

4. Bake the tart until the pastry is crisp and deeply browned on the bottom and around the edges, 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

You might also like:

• Tomato Corn Pie With Butter-Brushed Biscuit Crust
• Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin with Fresh Basil
• Juicy Tomato, Sweet Corn & Basil Salad
  

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Slow Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

You say tomato. I say slow oven-roasted tomato...

When I saw these pop up on Food In Jars' Facebook page a couple weeks ago, I knew that I would be making them. They are the most delicious thangs -- sweet, chewy, and intensely tomato-ey (it's my blog so I can make up any words I feel like.) The long roasting concentrates a whole tomato's worth of flavor into the delightfully shriveled, slightly gooey treat that remains at the end of 10-12 hours in the oven.

While not exactly quick, they are sublimely easy to make. All you do is preheat your oven to 200 F. While you're waiting, wash the tomatoes.

Slice them in half (or into quarters if you're using a rounder, fatter variety) and lay them in a single layer on parchment covered baking sheets.

Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper(you could throw some basil, thyme or oregano into the mix, too, if you feel like it.)

Then slide the sheets in and cook them at this low temperature for 10-12 hours (or more like 8 if you're using cherry or grape tomatoes since they're much smaller). Check them periodically to make sure they're not getting too dried out for your taste (and to make sure your oven is still on - ours kept turning off for some reason... Not good!)

When they're done, let them cool down. Remove however many you plan to scarf down in the next week and put them in an airtight container with a lid.

Then freeze the rest on their sheets, pack them into glass jars or freezer bags and toss them into the freezer.

These are DIVINE atop some goat cheese on crackers or baguette, chopped in salad, added to sauces, or just eaten on their own. I think you'll find them quite addictive...

You might also like:

• Tomato Jam
• Heirloom Tomato Salsa
• Simple Tomato Sauce With Garlic & Basil
• Spicy-Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Tomato Jam

I first made tomato jam a few years ago as an accompaniment to a decadent middle eastern-inspired meal in honor of my friend Nadia and her then-boyfriend, Martin who'd made the long trek out from Boston to visit us in Berkeley. Nadia is an adventurous cook and an appreciative eater so we ended up spending a lot of our time together in the kitchen.

In addition to the spiced tomato jam, the meal feast included spiced lamb kabobs, tzatziki (a.k.a., cucumber yogurt salad), lemon-scented quinoa with tahini and chickpeas, hummous topped with caramelized onions, Greek yogurt, roasted golden beets, pinenuts, and cilantro, and a green salad and some pita to round it all out. Needless to say, no one went hungry.

So when I saw this enticing recipe for tomato jam on Food In Jars (an awesome canning and preserving blog written by Marisa McClellan) I realized that it's been too long since I've made this delectable jam. In fact, not only have Nadia and Martin had time to tie the knot since I last made tomato jam, they now have an extremely cute 8-month-old, too. Looks like I've been slacking!

Marisa's recipe below is nearly identical to the Mark Bittman recipe I first used. I don't think you could go wrong with either one but since I've already posted about the Bittman one, I'll give Food In Jars' version a try. As canning projects go, this one is easy.

You wash your tomatoes.

Chop them up.

Grate some fresh ginger.

Simmer it in a pot with lime juice, sugar, salt and a few ground spices until it gets thick and gooey.

Fill your sterilized jars with the hot jam and toss them into the canning pot for a bit.

Et voilá! You have tomato jam - sweet, salty, spicy. Try this delectable jam on bread or crackers with some goat cheese or brie or something much stinkier, serve it with grilled sausage (it's great with these spiced lamb kabobs) or steak, use it in place of ketchup on a burger, or try it as a glaze for roasted chicken or pork - I think you will love it!

If you don't want to bother with canning, just cut the proportions down accordingly to make a much smaller amount. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly covered jar.

-- print recipe --
Tomato Jam
Makes between 3 and 5 pints, depending on what kind of tomatoes you use and how long you reduce it

Ingredients

* 5 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
* 3 1/2 cups sugar
* 8 tablespoons lime juice
* 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 tablespoon red chili flakes

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on how high you keep your heat.

2. When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove it from the heat and fill the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel, apply the lids and twist on the rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

3. When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When the jars are cool enough to handle, test the seals. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

Not feeling totally confident about how to can food? Check out my how-to post here for an overview of the process.

You might also like:

• Heirloom Tomato Salsa
• Simple Tomato Sauce With Garlic & Basil
• Spicy-Sweet Barbecue Sauce