This is a recipe that I saw a few years ago, decided I needed to make it, and promptly forgot about it.
I saw it again last month. It was the mustard that really caught my eye.
Kristin Espinasse has been writing French Word-A-Day, a blog about French life and French words and French families even longer than I have been writing this one…. She started in 2002.
She has also written a few books on what it is like being an American, married to a Frenchman and raising a bi-lingual family.
And she makes this fantastic Tarte à la Tomate
I adapted it to a smaller serving for two as a starter.
I am lucky enough to find small squares of puff pastry, 4 in a packet, that are the perfect size for something like this. If you have to buy the usual big size, use half for this and refrigerate the other half for a week or so for another use (tart?)
Or just make a big one…. use lots of mustard.
Tomato Tart
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (2oz, 60gr)
- 2 heaping tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 sheet puff pastry
- a few basil leaves
Instructions:
- Thaw the puff pastry, if needed.
- Lay pastry out flat and cut 2 large circles or squares Lay the circles on a baking sheet.
- With a dull knife, lightly score a line about 1/3″ (1cm) inside the edge of the pastry. It helps the edges to raise.
- Divide mustard and spread on puff pastry circle to scored line.
- Divide cheese and sprinkle on mustard
- Lay tomato slices on cheese.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F (200C) for 12 – 15 minutes, until sides of pastry have puffed around middle and are golden brown.
- Remove, drizzle with olive oil, garnish with basil leaves and serve.
This is what my kitchen counter looks like on Fridays, after I’ve been to the market:
The tomatoes and squashes are from my potager; the peaches, pears, bananas and melons from the market. I turned about half of those tomatoes into another 4 qrts of juice.
Back to the Medieval Festival….
It was in a medieval village – authentic, eh?
Like any good summer festival, there was a beer tent.
It might have been busier if it hadn’t been cold and rainy….
And, of course, a giant and a few folks on stilts.
Hard to get a good photo that doesn’t include the back of at least one person’s head….
Oh yes, and games for the kids:
It was rather sad to see the fair shrinking rather than growing.
Perhaps the dreary day had something to do with it….
I’m really hoping it was the weather that made the fair smaller. I’m afraid though that fairs will be a thing of the past. Our sense of community is dying with the rise of social media.
That tart looks absolutely delicious! Definitely one for my recipe book.
Try the tart – once you get lots of tomatoes lol. It is sad to see the fairs getting smaller. We went to another art fair earlier, that one was still going strong so maybe we can blame it on the rain lol
Ha damn people always get in the way of a good photo !!!
They do – they really should clear the way for me !!!