Tomato Tarte Tatins Food

TOMATO & CARAMELISED ONION TART TATIN

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan until the butter has melted. Cook the onion over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until beautifully golden, stirring often. Stir in the sugar and cook for another couple of minutes. Tip the onion and juices into a bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C.
• For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour to make fine crumbs. Stir in the parmesan, thyme and a pinch of salt. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp cold water, then mix to make a dough. Wrap in cling film.
• For the tomatoes, heat the butter and oil in a 20cm tart tatin tin on the hob until quite hot. Stir in the sugar and garlic, then put in the plum tomatoes cut-side down with a few thyme sprigs, and sizzle for no more than 1 minute. Scatter in the whole cherry tomatoes and tuck in a bit more thyme. Take off the heat and spread the onions on top. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the pastry until it's slightly bigger than the top of the tin. Lay it over the onions and tuck any excess down the sides.
• Bake on a baking sheet for 25 minutes until golden. Cool for 5 minutes, invert a plate over the top and upturn the tart onto it. Scatter with extra thyme and black pepper.

TOMATO AND BASIL TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the tomatoes in the skillet with the vegetable oil, salt and pepper, and honey or sugar. Arrange together as tightly as possible. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the bread crumbs - this will soak up some of the juice which come out of the tomatoes during cooking. On a well-floured counter, roll out a circle of puff pastry the same size as the top of the skillet. Place the puff pastry over the tomatoes, tucking it around them so the tomatoes are encased. Brush the pastry with the lightly beaten egg on the top only. It does seem a bit pointless, as this will be the underneath of the tart, but I like that bit of extra crunch that it adds to the pastry and it looks so much more presentable for that minute before you turn it upside down!
• Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is well puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes, then tip away the excess liquid (if any) and put a large plate upside down on top of the skillet. Using oven gloves, press the plate down hard and then quickly flip the whole thing so the skillet is upside down and the plate is on the bottom. I do this over the sink because there is usually some leakage! Remove the skillet. Once the tart is cold, rip up some basil or mint leaves and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper if required. Serve cold with cold meats, cheeses, olives, or salads.

CARAMELIZED TOMATO TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold puff pastry sheet and cut into a 10-inch round; chill, covered, until ready to use.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and let cook off, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer onions to a bowl.
• In a clean, ovenproof 9-inch skillet, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan gently (do not stir) until sugar melts and turns amber, 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar and swirl gently.
• Sprinkle olives over caramel. Scatter tomatoes over olives, then sprinkle onions on. Season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry round, tucking edges into pan. Cut several long vents in top of pastry.
• Bake tart until crust is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

TOMATO TART TATIN

Steps:

• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Season the tomato halves with kosher salt and pepper and set aside. Place the sugar in a large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan over the direct heat side of the grill. Shake out into an even layer and allow to melt then caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Stir in the garlic, onions and thyme, then the parsley and allow the liquid to melt back down. Remove from the heat.
• Place the tomatoes flesh side down on top of the onions. Place on the indirect heat side of the grill, close the lid and vents of the grill (this will make the temperature drop to 225 to 250 degrees F) and bake until the skins are wrinkly and the tomatoes have softened and given up more liquid, 2 hours.
• Brush another large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan with the butter. When the tomatoes are ready, scoop the tomatoes out of their juices and place them in the buttered pan, cut side up and skin side down. Add the caramelized onions on top of the tomatoes. Using kitchen shears, cut off the square edges of the puff pastry, rounding the edges. Top the tomatoes and onions with the puff pastry round.
• Place the pan on the indirect heat side of the grill, with the air vents open, and cover the grill. The temperature should be around 425 degrees F. Bake until golden brown and the pastry is puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 3 minutes before turning out on to a plate. Garnish with a sprig of basil in the center and sprinkle with flakey salt.

TOMATO TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Unfold puff pastry and cut a 10-inch disc. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to deglaze pan, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
• In a clean, oven-proof 9-inch skillet, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat, swirling gently (do not stir with a spoon) until sugar melts and turns into an amber-colored caramel, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add vinegar carefully and swirl again. The caramel will seize, but will re-melt in the oven.
• Sprinkle olives over caramel, then scatter tomatoes over olives. Sprinkle onions on top, then season with thyme, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry circle, tucking edges into sides of pan. Cut several vents in top of pastry.
• Bake until tart crust is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan. Flip tart onto a pan lid and slide onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

SLOW-ROAST TOMATO TATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Melt the butter with a splash of olive oil in your widest frying pan. Add the tomatoes, skin-side down, in a single layer (you can do this in 2 batches if they won't all fit) and cook over a low heat until they release their juices. Lift out with a slotted spoon and rearrange in a tart tin (roughly 23cm), skin-side down - cram them in as they will shrink a little and you don't want any gaps. Add the sugar and vinegar to the pan, and cook until the pan juices are reduced and syrupy. Drizzle over the tomatoes in the tin, then scatter with the oregano or thyme and season.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a good 25-26cm round. Lay on top of the tomatoes, and tuck the edges down. Use a fork to prick holes all over the pastry - this will help the steam to escape.
• Sit the tart tin on a flat baking tray and bake for 30 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Let the tart sit for 10 mins, then run a knife round the edge to release the pastry. Carefully flip the tart over onto a serving plate or board and scatter with more herbs to serve.