My mom popped over to my house with a bounty of tomatoes from her garden. They were so beautiful!! I have a hard time growing larger tomatoes here on my property. I am wondering if I don’t have enough sun, or if it is because I am a bit closer to the water and it is cooler? Whatever the reason, I have taken to simply growing varieties of cherry tomatoes, my favorite of which, is Sun Gold. Anyway, these beautiful tomatoes needed a beautiful recipe to showcase them. Something special. Enter the French Tomato Tart.

As I was pondering my options, I recalled a recipe for a French Tomato Tart in one of my cookbooks (La Vie Rustic by Georgeanne Brennan). After looking it up and researching, I immediately knew this would be the perfect way to showcase the tomatoes. The result was perfection. Light, fluffy crust as the base, with herbs-de-Provence providing the rustic seasoning for the olive oil drenched tomatoes. Roasted garlic cloves, nestled in between the tomatoes, provide a creamy garlic accent. The French Tomato Tart will now be in my recipe rotation for a light meal or a beautiful appetizer.

Garden ripe tomatoes on black background

A Bit of Tomato History

The tomato plant grew wild in the Peruvian Andes as early as the 12th century. It was subsequently domesticated and cultivated in Mexico. In 1521 Hernán Cortés discovered the tomato in Mexico. The tomato was introduced to Spain in 1523, and then Italy in 1544. In 1600, the French agronomist Olivier de Sires cultivated tomatoes on his property in the Ardèche region of France. He classified it as an ornamental. It was not until the mid 1700s that tomatoes made their way into Provençal kitchens, under the influence of Italian cooking.

The first reference to tomatoes in colonial America can be found in a book on plants written by English herbalist William Salmon in the early 18th century. Visiting the colonies, Salmon noted that tomatoes were being cultivated in the Carolinas. But while the tomato was grown in some parts of the colonies, it took Americans a while to embrace the tomato as a tasty food source. It didn’t become popular until the 19th century, in part because tomatoes were believed by some to be poisonous.

With the relative ease of growing, and the versatility of the fruit, it is no wonder tomatoes have become such a staple of the culinary world. From sauces, to bakes, from stewed to braised, our tastes buds would be missing out without this garden favorite.

Equipment

8 x 11½ Tart Pan I chose to make a more "rustic" tart and used a shallow baking sheet. I formed the edges of the tart by rolling them under, and then adding a "wavy" shape with my fingers.

Ingredients

Puff Pastry Crust

1 Sheet puff pastry

Tomato Filling

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt, fine
1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence
8-10 Ripe Tomatoes Roma, San Marzano work well. Any firm, meaty tomato variety that you would typically make tomato sauce out of would work.
1 Large Head of Garlic, 12-14 cloves You may need 2 medium heads, depending on the number of cloves per head.
2 tsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Instructions

Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 300℉
Cut Tomatoes in half. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil, just enough to cover the bottom. Sprinkle the Salt, Pepper, and Herbs de Provence over the Olive Oil. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, over the oil and seasonings. Rub them around a bit so that they absorb the oil and seasonings.
Separate the head/s of Garlic into cloves. Leaving them unpeeled, put them on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and turn them to coat with oil. Seal the foil into a little packet and place it in a small dish (the oil will probably leak).
Place the tray of Tomatoes on the upper rack of the oven, and the Garlic on the lower rack. Roast the Tomatoes until their skins slip off easily, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove Tomatoes and set aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 350℉
Continue to roast the Garlic for another 30 minutes. Remove. Set aside to cool.
When Tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins, leaving the tomatoes on the baking sheet.
Once Garlic Cloves are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins, leaving the whole, roasted cloves.

Puff Pastry Crust

Turn oven up to 400℉
Roll out the sheet of puff pastry to about 10 x 13 inches, or just larger than the pan that you are using. Drape it over your pan and gently press it into the pan, letting the edges hang over the sides
Roll and tuck the excess pastry under, creating a rim that rises above the pan's edges. If using another type of pan instead of a tart pan, use your fingers to form a "wavy" edge out of the folded excess.
Line pastry with foil by pressing foil into the edges and corners of the pan, taking care to create a "rim" of foil. You are basically making a little foil pan that sits inside of the edges of your pastry crust.
Add pie weights, or dried rice or beans. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are puffed and golden.
Take out of oven. Remove foil/weights. Prick the bottom of pastry with a fork, and continue to bake until the crust turns light golden brown, about 5 minutes more. If it puffs up, use the fork to puncture and press crust back down. Let the crust cool slightly.

Assembling

Reduce oven to 375℉
In small bowl, combine the Sour Cream and Dijon Mustard. Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the tart shell.
Arrange the Tomatoes, cut side up, across the surface of the tart shell. Tuck the Roasted Garlic Cloves in amongst the tomatoes. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the Tomatoes with juices from the baking sheet.
Arrange sprigs of thyme on top.
Bake until the edges of the crust are puffed and deep golden brown and the bottom is thoroughly cooked through, at least 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.
If using a tart pan with removable bottom, slip a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen any clinging bits of pastry. Gently push on the bottom of the pan, nudging the sides loose. Slide tart onto a serving plate.
If using a simple baking sheet, simply cool and remove to serving dish by using a spatula to release the crust from the bottom. Slide onto serving dish.
Alternatively, you can use a nice stainless steel serving tray as your tray to bake your tart in. This is what I do, and it works wonderfully.
Cut. Serve warm.

French Tomato Tart – With Puff Pastry Crust

A Bit of Tomato History