Tomato Goat Cheese Crostata Food

GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
• Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
• Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.
• Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

TOMATO-GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Drain tomatoes, reserving 3 tablespoons of oil., In a small skillet, heat reserved oil, tomatoes and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until garlic is golden and tomatoes are heated through. To serve, place cheese on a serving plate. Pour tomato mixture over cheese. If desired, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with crackers.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the butter, flour and pinch of salt. Pulse until the butter is about the size of small peas. In a small bowl, mix 1 egg with the ice water. Add to the flour-butter mixture. Pulse until the dough begins to come together, but is still somewhat loose and shaggy. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and gather together lightly and quickly into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Place dough on floured surface and roll out into large circle, about 1/8-inch in thickness. Sprinkle the bottom of the dough with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Begin to layer the tomatoes around in concentric circles inside the dough, leaving about a 2-inch margin of dough at the edges. Sprinkle the fresh goat cheese evenly over the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top of the goat cheese.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with the 1/2 cup of half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold the edges of the dough up around the tomatoes, pinching the creases as you go, but casually. Enclose the tomatoes partway to make it leak-proof. Carefully pour the custard around and over the tomatoes and cheese. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Place in 400 degree oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut the tart into 10 wedges and sprinkle wit the julienned basil. Serve

FRESH TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE STRATA WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• For the Filling: Combine the goat cheese and cream in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip together the cheese and the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the Herb Oil: Combine the herbs in a food processor and pulse to chop the herbs. With the machine running add the oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• To serve: Using a serrated knife, cut the tomatoes. Top each tomato with a spoonful of the goat cheese mixture. Place a few tomatoes on a serving plate, drizzle with herb oil, and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve.

SAVORY CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat an oven-proof 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onions and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are a dark golden-brown, about 15 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir in the balsamic and sprinkle the oregano over the top. Turn off the heat and spread the onions evenly over the bottom of the pan, using a rubber spatula.
• Place the ricotta in a small bowl. Season with 1/8 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper. Dollop the ricotta over the onions in 8 to 10 places. Using a fork, prick the puff pasty a few times evenly. Place the puff pastry over the top of the filling, pressing down gently to make sure the dough is touching the ricotta and onions.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with a plate slightly larger than the skillet. Invert the crostata onto the plate, replacing any onions that may have stuck to the pan. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dress the arugula with the lemon juice. Sprinkle the arugula over the cooled crostata and nestle the tomatoes into the onions. Slice into wedges or squares and serve.

GOLDEN GOAT'S CHEESE TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the spinach in a colander, pour over a kettle of boiling water until the spinach wilts, then drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can (you might need to do this in two batches). Put the spinach in the bottom of a gratin or baking dish, season, then sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Drape the prosciutto over and around the spinach, then sit the tomato halves on top, cut-side up. Dot the crème fraîche over the whole dish, scatter with the goat's cheese, then season with more pepper. Bake for 10-15 mins until the cheese is melting into the crème fraîche and the edges are starting to bubble. Scoop out of the dish and serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

TOMATO CROSTATA WITH HONEY-THYME GLAZE

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour, cornmeal and salt. Add butter and cheese and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 6 tablespoons, pulsing occasionally until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Spread out tomato slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• In a skillet over medium heat, combine vinegar, honey and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer; let simmer 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Wipe out skillet, then add olive oil and garlic. Cook garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is golden and caramelized. Remove garlic and finely chop. Reserve garlic oil.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Gently roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Transfer dough to baking sheet and return to fridge for another 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat tomatoes dry with paper towels. Brush tomatoes with honey mixture (reserve the thyme sprigs). Leaving a 3-inch border, distribute cheese, garlic and half the chopped thyme leaves on center of crust. Add black pepper to taste, then layer tomatoes in an overlapping pattern, maintaining the 3-inch border. Drizzle garlic oil over tomatoes, sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves and lay the reserved whole thyme sprigs on top. Gently fold crust up around tomatoes, making a 2-inch border.
• In a small bowl, whisk egg and 1 teaspoon water. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash over crust and sprinkle top of crostata with flaky salt. Bake for about 35 minutes, until pastry is deeply golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.