Bring summer home with a tomato tart

This was a surprise.

Most of the times, I know before starting what's going to be shared with you. The choice is already made, and the experience is very different. I'm thinking of you in the kitchen, and I am paying special attention to the preparation : I take detailed notes and pictures of the different steps, I measure everything, and I try not to be messy.

And believe me, clumsy as I am, this is the hardest part! When I bake, I usually end up with flour and eggs all over the place. Maybe it sounds more real, but it doesn't look good on the pictures! ;-)

After that comes the plating and the testing. This is when I might be torn :

See, sometimes it looks good.

The pictures are nice.

I'd really love to show you the result (especially if I took 25 pictures of it).

Like this one. Pretty thing, isn't it?

But!

The taste doesn't match with the work needed / the look achieved. And I won't tell you how to spend 3 hours in your kitchen for a bla result, won't I?
Yeah, I'm that nice!

Because I'm that nice, I'm also going to tell you about this savory tart I made the other day. It's very simple, and was made in a hurry, before leaving for a party. I was late, and it even finished cooking during the evening, in the turned off oven. I did not care, it was just a way to use my soon-to-be out-of-date mozzarella. But last night, I had a bite of it, and O.M.G.! No way I'm keeping that for myself! Even if I don't have any picture to go along with it...

PS : Next time, I'm going to tell you about what kept me busy since saturday. Non stop (in my head anyway). Let just say it involves some research. A little handycrafts. Lots of butter and sugar. And a super excited me!! I'm doing the last (and most difficult) steps tonight. We'll see if I'm still this happy tomorrow... But the best thing is all the nice bloggers who helped me with the little aléas in my way to buttercream heaven!

That's how far it gets with the pictures....

Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Tart
Adapted from Bon Appetit

For the tomatoes (you can substitute them with oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes)
6 small tomatoes or 4 large ones
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 rosemary branch (about 1 Tbsp dried one)
1 thyme branch (about 1-2 Tbsp dried one)
1/2 tsp salt

1 sheet puff pastry (made with butter, please!!)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
6 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 small zucchini, cut into thin rounds
2 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prepare the tomatoes :
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Quarter the tomatoes (or cut in 6 for the large ones). Remove the seeds, you just want to keep a tomato "petal". Put them all in the same way, skin side down, on your baking pan, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme and salt. You could also add a garlic clove.
Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, turning the tomatoes from one side to another every 15-20 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 400°F.
Transfer pastry to 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Fold in overhang to form double-thick sides. Pierce with fork, fill with beans or pie weights. Bake pastry until sides are set, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle mozzarella over bottom of crust. Top with tomatoes, zucchini rounds in concentric circles to cover top of tart. Whisk eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Pour mixture into tart. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake tart until custard is set and crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Quiche aux Tomates confites, Courgettes et Mozzarella
Adapté de Bon Appetit

Pour les tomates (si vous n'avez pas le temps, achetez des tomates confites à l'huile d'olive) :
6 petites tomates ou 4 grosses
5 bonnes cuillères à soupe d'huile d'olive
1 branche de romarin (environ 1 cuillère de romarin séché)
1 branche de thym (1 à 2 cuillères de thym séché)
1/2 cuillère à café de sel

1 rouleau de pâte feuilletée pré-étalée pur beurre*
1 boule de mozzarella, coupée en petits morceaux
6 bonnes cuillères à soupe de parmesan râpé
1 cuillères à soupe d'origan
1 petite courgettes, coupée en fines rondelles
2 oeufs
12,5 cl de lait
12,5 cl de crème
Sel et poivre

* Après avoir essayé plusieurs marques, la pâte feuilletée de chez Picard arrive loin en tête devant les autres...

Préparez les tomates :
Préchauffez le four à 150°.
Coupez les tomates en 4 quartiers (ou en 6 pour les grosses). Enlevez les pépins et le centre, en ne gardant que la chair extérieure, pour former une sorte de "pétale". Placez les sur la plaque de cuisson, coté coupé vers le haut, et arrosez d'huile d'olive. Ajoutez le thym, le romarin et le sel. Vous pouvez également ajouter une gousse d'ail.
Faites confire les tomates 1h à 1h30, en retournant les pétales toutes les 15-20 minutes.

Augmentez la température du four à 200°.
Foncez le moule avec le disque de pâte feuilletée, piquez le fond avec une fourchette. Faites cuire 20 minutes.

Parsemez le fond de pâte avec la mozzarella, puis disposez les tomates confites et les disques de courgette de manière concentrique.
Mélangez les oeufs, le lait, la crème, l'origan, le sel et le poivre dans un petit bol. Versez cette préparation sur la quiche, et saupoudrez de Parmesan.

Faites cuire 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la tarte ait une jolie couleur dorée et soit légèrement gonflée. Servez chaud ou à température ambiante.

La suite, please

Picnic in the train...

Revelation : this blog is not only about baking, but also about cooking. If you look at my recipe list, you couldn't guess, right? ;-)
Well, here's the thing : I've got this stupid fear of disappointing you with a savoury recipe. I don't do anything very elaborate, so why would you care? And let's be honest : I find it much more difficult to make a salad look appetizing than some, hum, let's say, raspberry pie... I'm sure you agree, non?

So actually, I had planned to share my first cupcakes today. But then, I did the frosting in the morning, before leaving for work, and did not note the quantities. I need to check that before telling something awfully wrong...
What a better opportunity to finally open my savoury folder, just waiting to be shared?

This leek tart is quite rustic. Simple to make and comforting. Served warm with some salad, it's a delicious dinner. But because of the cream cheese in the custard, it holds together very well, which makes it perfect for transportation. You'll enjoy it cold, for lunch, or with your friends in the train on a week-end trip. Isn't it picnic time soon??

The recipe is very straightforward : start with a simple pie dough. Cut, clean and blanch the leeks. For the custard, take the best of a quiche and of a cheesecake, beating the eggs with a little cream cheese. Don't forget to add the deep flavour of grated nutmeg. Put in your oven, it's gonna be ready soon.

Pie dough
2/3 cup butter
3 Tbsp cold water
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp salt

Stir together the flour and salt with a fork to blend. Make a well in the centre, and add the fat and the yolk. Blend into the flour using your fingers.
Drizzle a few tablespoons of the ice water over the surface of the flour mixture and quickly rub the water into the flour. Continue to add the water, a tablespoon or so at a time, just until it holds together.
Gather and press the dough into a ball, wrap well, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Unwrap the dough, place it on a floured work surface, and scatter a little flour over the top. Roll out the dough into an even round about 1/8 inch thick.
Fold the dough in half or roll it loosely around the rolling pin, and gently lift and position it over the pan. Unfold or unroll and ease the dough into the pan without stretching, making sure that the pan sides and the rim are evenly covered. Press the dough gently against the sides and bottom. Trim the overhang to 1 inch. Tuck the dough overhang under itself and flute the edges.
Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork. Bake it 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Rustic leeks tart
1 pie dough, pre-baked
3 medium leeks
3 eggs
4 oz. cream cheese
7 Tbsp half and half (or 4 Tbsp cream and 3 Tbsp milk)
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp salt
(1/4 tsp pepper)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Prepare the leeks : Keep only the white and pale green parts and slice. Place the leek slices into a bowl filled with cold water. Swish the pieces of leek around in the bowl of water with your hands. Rub the leek pieces to remove any sand and dirt that may be on the slices, and strain.
Blanch in boiling water during 2 minutes, then strain and dry the slices on paper towels.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the eggs and the cream cheese until they are broken up, then whisk in the milk and the cream. Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper.

Arrange the leeks evenly over the pastry. Pour the custard mixture over it. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake it in the middle of the oven until the top is golden and puffed and the custard is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving. You can also eat it at room temperature.


Pâte brisée
250g de farine
5g de sel
125g de beurre ramolli
1 jaune d'oeuf
5cl d'eau froide

Versez la farine et le sel dans un bol. Faites un puit au milieu duquel vous mettrez le beurre et le jaune d'oeuf. Incorporez tous les éléments du bout des doigts. Ajoutez l'eau au fur et à mesure jusqu'à obtenir une pâte homogène.
Formez une boule avec la pâte, aplatissez-la et enveloppez-la dans un film plastique pour reposer au frais pendant au moins 1 heure.

Après le temps de repos, préchauffez le four à 180°. Beurrez et farinez le moule à tarte.
Farinez abondamment le plan de travail ainsi que le rouleau à pâtisserie, puis étalez la pâte sur 2 à 3 mm d'épaisseur.
Foncez le moule avec ce disque, piquez le fond avec une fourchette. Faites cuire 15 minutes. Sortez du four et réservez pour la tarte.

Tarte rustique aux poireaux
1 fond de pâte brisée pré-cuit
3 poireaux de taille moyenne
3 oeufs
100g de fromage à tartiner (type St Moret)
10cl de crème liquide legère
10cl de lait (ecrémé ou demi-ecrémé)
1 demi cuillère à café de noix muscade moulue
1 cuillère à café de sel

Préchauffez le four à 180°.

Préparez les poireaux : enlevez les racines et les feuilles, ne gardant que 5cm de la partie verte.
Découpez les tiges en rondelles, et nettoyez les dans un grand bol d'eau froide. Laissez les tremper un moment pour que les impuretés tombent au fond, et égouttez les. Faites les blanchir (cuire 2 minutes dans une casserole d'eau bouillante).

Pendant ce temps, dans un bol, mélangez au fouet les 3 oeufs et le fromage à tartiner. Une fois que la préparation est homogène, incorporez la crème, le lait, la muscade et le sel.
Disposez les poireaux sur le fond de tarte pre-cuit, et versez l'appareil dessus. Faites cuire 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la tarte ait une jolie couleur dorée et soit légèrement gonflée.
Laissez refroidir 10 minutes avant de déguster.

La suite, please

Like Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke draws a gun faster than his shadow. Well, if my shadow is supposed to write about my culinary experiences while I’m cooking, then I’m definitively a lot faster than she is. The truth is, the week-end does not make things better : I have not only the (late) evening but the whole day to prepare some desserts. Yes, you’ll be able to see daylight on my pictures!!

And this week-end was all about cooking and baking. Saturday in the kitchen started at 10 am (no, no more sleep in for me…) and finished at 5:30 pm. With 4 recipes to tell you about.

So, what have I done? It’s Tuesday and still nothing? Am I already on strike? (I’m French, it wouldn’t be that surprising…). Well, the thing is, I’m stubborn. Hey, did someone say monomaniacal ?? When something bugs me, even a little detail, I’ve got to fix it, I can’t work on any other project. This is how I ended up totally dismantling a photocopier because of a paper jam. And this time, even though I don’t understand a thing about html / css , I had to find a way to put a link and not to show the whole posts on my page. I know it’s supposed to be simple. But, when it comes to computers, if I can’t do it with Excel, then… I can’t do it... (so if anyone knows how I can create an index to classify my recipes, PLEASE, don’t hesitate!!)

Anyway, now it’s done, let’s start with the tomato tarte tatin. It’s the first recipe of the week-end, but, most of all, it still balances the number of recipe for sweets. Who would ever have believed that?? (Oh no, it won’t stay that way long…)

I will not tell you that this tarte tatin was perfect. It could be improved. Maybe with some balsamic vinegar reduction. Its sweetness and syrupy texture would marry well with the fragrance of tomatoes and the caramelized (oh, so caramelized. so good….) crust. Or maybe by giving it a more pronounced flavor of garlic and thyme.
But it’s worth the try. Because even without those improvements, we all had a second helping…

Oh, and btw, the photocopier worked fine after I put it back together!!



Tomato Tarte Tatin
From L’ami des jardins et de la maison, Juillet 2008
8 tomatoes
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 oz. Parmesan
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

Peel the tomatoes : if you don’t have a peeler, let them 2 minutes in boiling water before peeling.
Remove the stem, but leave the tomatoes whole. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat one tablespoon oil in a skillet. Cook the tomatoes about 10 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat. Turn them once.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease you pie shell and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar. Arrange the tomatoes, sprinkle with the rest of sugar and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with parmesan, and let cool for 20 more minutes.
Heat oven to 390°.

Arrange the puff pastry sheet over the tomatoes, and put back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Cover the pie shell with your serving plate, and invert to loosen pie. Serve immediately.


Tatin de tomates
De l’Ami des jardins et de la maison, Juillet 2008
8 tomates moyennes,
1 cercle de pâte feuilletée,
50g de parmesan rapé
2 cuillères à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 cuillères à café de sucre
Sel et poivre

Pelez les tomates : si vous n’avez pas de peleur, plongez les dans une casserole d’eau bouillante pendant 2 minutes, la peau s’enlèvera ensuite sans difficulté.
Eliminez les pédoncules, salez et poivrez les tomates.
Faites les revenir dans une poêle chaude avec une cuillère d’huile d’olive pendant une dizaine de minutes. Commencez par faire revenir le dessous de la tomate, puis retournez les pour qu’elles rejettent leur eau.
Huilez le moule à tarte, soupoudrez d’une cuillère de sucre et disposez les tomates. Ajoutez le reste du sucre et faites cuire à 180° pour 20 minutes.
Sortez le plat du four et soupoudrez avec le parmesan. Laissez refroidir encore 20 minutes.
Recouvrez les tomates avec le cercle de pâte, en rentrant les rebords à l’intérieur du moule. Faites cuire 20 minutes à 200°.
Démoulez la tarte tatin et servez aussitôt.

La suite, please