French Tomato Tart: Vive la Tomate!

It seemed fitting yesterday to celebrate Labor Day by making David Lebovitz's fabu French Tomato Tart for my neighbor's potluck. Pinko commie cuisine never tasted so good, and tomatoes are at their best as summer cools into fall. Really best with home-grown or farm-fresh tomatoes, but if you must have an out-of-season fix, go for tomatoes that feel heavy for their size and ignore all other considerations such as color. That trick works for me all the time. And romas are typically the best tomatoes in winter.

This recipe is ideal picnic fare. The first time I made this, I served it to a friend hot from the oven, and we both swooned. Eight servings became 4. *blush* We took the remaining slices as picnic fare on a scenic day trip to Pittsburgh the next day (which included stops at the Flight 93 9/11 memorial site and her family's ancestral home in northwestern PA), which we ate upon arrival at our hotel in downtown Pittsburgh--and it was even better! The crust was even more tender, and the flavors had melded together. So, if you happen to have leftovers (!), be sure you have the time to savor each bite!

French Tomato Tart (adapted from David Lebovitz)
You can use a tart pan, removeable bottom or not, anywhere from 9-12 inches, though be sure you roll out the dough large enough to overalap the edges after you fit it in. I used a 10" ceramic tart pan for thicker dough and so I might make extra tartlets from any scraps (I got one, which meant my roommate got to try it even though she missed the potluck).

Be generous with the herbs (I have twice used oregano and thyme) and mustard. Consider slathering the mustard on the bottom of the unbaked crust as you would for a sandwich. The crust is a dream--it's considered a good beginner's recipe, and it really does go straight in the oven unbaked and topped with juicy tomatoes without becoming soggy (be sure the mustard layer dries out as specified to achieve this effect).

One possible tweak to this recipe that I want to try to move it west along the Mediterranean by subbing 8 oz of feta and using basil and oregano. Yum!

Tart Filling

One unbaked tart dough (see recipe, below)

Dijon or whole-grain mustard

2-3 large ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

two generous tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, chives, chervil, orgegano, or tarragon

8 ounces (250 g) fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds

Optional: 1 1/2 tablespoons flavorful honey

Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
4 1/2 ounces (125 g) (9 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons ice water

1. Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture. If you use your hands (which I prefer), make sure the butter cubes have chilled in the fridge and that you use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture as quickly as possible without letting it become pasty (which means it's too hot). Some people's hands are too hot to do this.

2. Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it's not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water. I worked the dough a little to get it to come together and sprinkled more water as necessary, both with a very light hand to keep the dough from becoming tough.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. I suggest that you get King Arthur's amazing silicone rolling mat if you plan to roll out tart or pie dough, naan, tortillas, or other things with any regularity--it provides an instant clean surface AND allows you to roll your dough to the right size with ease.

4. Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. (You can also carefully fold the bottom half up over the top half and lift it into the pan, making sure the crease is in the middle.) "Dock" the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC).

6. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out.

7. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over the mustard in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.

8. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs, then arrange the slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs, then drizzle with some honey, if using.

(If baking a free-form tart, gather the edges when you're done, to envelope the filling.)

9. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn't brown as much as you'd like it, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it's just right.

Bon Appétit!