Tomato Tarte Tatin

Tomato Tarte Tatin
A tart tatin is always a gorgeous pastry to look at, no matter what kind of fruit you use to make it. I’ve made them using apples, peaches and even pineapples before. Almost any fruit can be used, including one of those fruits that we all …

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Tomato Tarte Tatin
A tart tatin is always a gorgeous pastry to look at, no matter what kind of fruit you use to make it. I’ve made them using apples, peaches and even pineapples before. Almost any fruit can be used, including one of those fruits that we all typically regard as savory: the tomato. This Tomato Tarte Tatin is an amazing way to showcase fresh cherry tomatoes (or other small tomatoes, there are a lot out there to choose from) for a sweet-yet-savory twist on “traditional” tarte tatin that makes a great summer side!

The tomatoes are placed in a quick, buttery caramel sauce (with a generous pinch of salt added) and take on a fantastic sweetness as they cook in the oven. You could add in some herbs or spices for variety, but I love that natural tomato sweetness and it is the star of the show here. A buttery crust is baked on top of the tomatoes, serving as the base once the tart is done. Like most tatins, this one is baked upside down an inverted onto a dish for serving, so the pastry bakes as the top of the dish, but ends up beneath a layer of caramelized tomatoes.

From start to finish, Tomato Tarte Tatin is a very easy dish to make because it requires very few ingredients. The crust is the most time consuming element – and you can easily use storebought puff pastry dough instead of making a homemade pie crust dough for the base of this tart to save time.

It’s nice to have two options for the crust of this tart because it just means that you’re more likely to have what you need on hand to make it! The pie crust is a little more substantial, but may take a few minutes extra to cook completely when compared to the puff pastry. As a result, I recommend rolling it out to be slightly thinner than thicker. Regardless of which pastry you use, you should bake the crust until it is a deep golden brown. The tomatoes are going to give off a fair amount of liquid – though most of it turns into caramel – and you want that crust to stay nice and crisp.

I recommend letting the tart sit for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto a serving tray or cutting board. This short wait time will allow the caramel to thicken so that you don’t end up with a big splash all over your countertop and it will still allow the tart to release easily from the pan. If you let the tart sit too long, you will need to place it over the burner on your cooktop for a minute to warm and loosen the caramel. The tart should be served right away and can stand on its own as a main course if served with a big salad or it can be a nice side to any meaty main dish.

Tomato Tarte Tatin

Tomato Tarte Tatin
9-inch pie pastry or 10-inch sheet puff pastry
16-oz cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out pastry into an approximately 11-inch circle (square, if using puff pastry) on a lightly floured surface. Chill for 15 minutes.
In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and cook until it starts to turn a golden brown. If the sugar starts to crystallize, don’t worry. Simply reduce the heat slightly and keep cooking it, stirring with a spatula, until the crystals break down and the caramel is liquid. Remove from heat and stir in salt. Add tomatoes to caramel in a single layer.
Place pastry over the tomatoes, crimping the edges to ensure that the whole pastry fits within the edges of the pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around the edges of the crust.
Allow tart to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter or cutting board.

Serves 6-8.

The post Tomato Tarte Tatin appeared first on Baking Bites.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

I’m back on the wagon of tackling the recipes in the bulging files of recipes that I’ve been collecting and hanging on to for the past thirty years. Many pre-date the internet and were from food magazines (made of paper) that I subscribed to. A surprising number of the savory recipes have the words “adobo” or “chipotle,” and “pork” in the title, so if I ever…

I’m back on the wagon of tackling the recipes in the bulging files of recipes that I’ve been collecting and hanging on to for the past thirty years. Many pre-date the internet and were from food magazines (made of paper) that I subscribed to. A surprising number of the savory recipes have the words “adobo” or “chipotle,” and “pork” in the title, so if I ever want to write a book of well-seasoned pork recipes, I’ve got plenty of inspiration.

This one is from Gourmet magazine way back in 2004, a few years before they ceased publishing. I knew people in the test kitchen at Gourmet and they thoroughly tested their recipes, so you know they’re going to work. Gourmet was “modernized” under its last editor, Ruth Reichl, but the test kitchen remained a constant; she knew the value of a solid recipe and good testers. She also knew the appeal of a great photo and Romulo Yanes, who recently passed away, created many of the great images that Gourmet was known for.

Many questioned why Condé Nast killed Gourmet but not Bon Appétit, but the subscription numbers were more favorable for the latter, which didn’t end well, and is now undergoing another revamp. I, for one, am happy that there hasn’t been that much turnover here at the blog, but I should probably shake things up here at some point, too.

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Weekend Reads

Thanksgiving is (kinda) just around the corner and you can check out this round-up of Thanksgiving Recipes here on the blog. Rather than getting all stressed out, though, maybe think of making less…and having more fun. As a French friend once told me, “We don’t go out to eat for the food. We go out to be with our friends.” Another friend in Paris told…

Thanksgiving is (kinda) just around the corner and you can check out this round-up of Thanksgiving Recipes here on the blog. Rather than getting all stressed out, though, maybe think of making less…and having more fun. As a French friend once told me, “We don’t go out to eat for the food. We go out to be with our friends.” Another friend in Paris told me that when she entertains, she serves only three things, which may not pan out for T-day spreads; I can skip the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes…but not the turkey, stuffing, purée (mashed potatoes), and cranberry sauce.

Every November I get asked by a few people, “What do the French do for Thanksgiving?” Since it’s an American holiday, I don’t think they want to be in the mishigas of cultural appropriation, sp they’re fine to let us have it, and don’t do anything to celebrate. That said, some butchers in Paris stock whole turkeys (pro-tip: Stay away from butchers in upscale neighborhoods. The prices some of them sell them for are insane), and go to a regular butcher shop elsewhere. Even better, if you order in advance, some butchers may be willing to put the turkey on the same rôtisserie they use for roast chickens, to cook for you, which is a godsend if you have a petit apartment oven.

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