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Consumption of tomatoes in our household is intense this time of the year. We receive a basket of cherry tomatoes every week in our CSA box, plus some larger tomatoes, and I supplement that allowance with purchases at the farmers' market. I like the baskets of mixed varieties, which allow a taste comparison. For this tart, which I have made four times in the last three weeks, I have used mostly Blush tomatoes.
Colby, which I have made twice in recent months, using Jim Wallace's recipe, melts nicely and it is therefore perfect for the tart. It is also nice to eat as is. The version shown above includes cacao nibs, my personal touch, previously added to other cheeses (like Bel Paese).
The base for the tart is the "alternative" puff pastry (pasta sfoglia "alternativa") presented in an earlier post. As in the case of the savory tart with ricotta and baby leafy greens, more than a recipe, this is a suggestion: the puff pastry is a canvas on which you can try a combination of ingredients. And of course, the given quantities can be adjusted to fill a bigger tart.
Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Savory tart with cherry tomatoes and cheese
Ingredients:
- 165 g / 5 3/4 oz. (half a batch) of "alternative" puff pastry (or equivalent amount of regular puff pastry)
- Semi-hard cheese of choice that melts well: I used my homemade Colby
- Cherry tomatoes (in the rendition above, I used the Blush variety)
- A few leaves of fresh basil (basilico), chiffonade
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Roll out the pastry until fairly thin, then place it on the lined baking sheet. I like to make a rectangular tart. Prick the shell with a fork in several places. Cut a wedge of the cheese and then slice it fairly thin. Distribute pieces of cheese over rolled pastry, leaving a border all around (about 1/2 inch) and also leaving a bit of space in between, where you can place the tomatoes. Keep in mind that in melting, the cheese takes up a bit more surface space.
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and distribute on the pastry, in between pieces of cheese. Sprinkle basil slivers over the tomatoes. I never weighed the cheese or the tomatoes, relying on my sense of balance to adjust the quantities: you want to be able to taste all the ingredients.
Pinch the pastry all around to raise it slightly and fold to make a kind of border. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the visible crust is light golden, about 25 minutes. As usual, the time varies with the oven. Check the tart after 20 minutes and estimate the time remaining.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven, let rest briefly, then cut the tart, serve and enjoy.
This is not something you want to make every day, since puff pastry is rich in butter. Cut into smaller pieces, the tart makes a nice appetizer (antipasto). And you can boast about having made the puff pastry yourself.
1 In Italy, cherry tomatoes are also referred to as pomodorini ciliegia and pomodori ciliegini.
This is my contribution to edition #346 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.
This post contains the roundup of the event.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
torta salata con pomodori ciliegia e formaggio
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puff pastry, cheese, savory tart, cherry tomato
torta salata con pomodori ciliegia e formaggio
Il consumo di pomodori a casa nostra in questo periodo dell'anno è notevole. Riceviamo un cestino di pomodori ciliegia ogni settimana nella cassettina insieme ad alcuni pomodori da insalata o da sugo, e ne compro sempre un po' al farmers' market. Mi piacciono i cestini misti, perché uno può fare il confronto tra diverse varietà. Per questa torta salata, che ho già fatto quattro volte nel giro di poco tempo, ho usato soprattutto i pomodorini di varietà Blush (blush in inglese è il rossore sul volto di una persona).
Il formaggio Colby, che ho fatto due volte negli ultimi mesi seguendo la ricetta di Jim Wallace, fonde bene ed è perciò perfetto per questa torta salata. Questo formaggio originale americano è anche ottimo da gustare al naturale. La versione che si vede nella foto include granella di cacao, un tocco personale che ho aggiunto anche ad altri formaggi (per esempio, Bel Paese).
La base per la torta salata è fatta con la pasta sfoglia "alternativa" della quale ho parlato in un post di qualche tempo fa. Come nel caso della torta salata con ricotta e verdure novelle, più che una ricetta, questo è un suggerimento: la pasta sfoglia è una tela sulla quale potete provare a combinare degli ingredienti che vi ispirano. E naturalmente, le dosi possono essere adattate a preparare una torta più grande.
Ingredienti:
- 165 g pasta sfoglia "alternativa" (metà di quella che ottenete seguendo le dosi della ricetta), oppure la stessa quantità di pasta sfoglia tradizionale
- formaggio semi-duro che fonde bene: io ho usato il mio Colby fatto in casa
- pomodori ciliegia (nella torta della foto ho usato pomodorini di varietà Blush)
- alcune foglie di basilico fresco, spezzettate
Scaldare il forno a 190 C e foderare una lastra da forno con tappetino di silicone per forno o carta da forno. Stendere la pasta sfoglia fina e poi muoverla sulla lastra foderata. Bucherellare la superficie con una forchetta in diversi punti. Tagliare il formaggio a fettine piuttosto fine e poi a pezzi. Distribuire sulla pasta sfoglia lasciando tutto intorno un bordo di circa 1,25 cm e anche un po' di spazio tra un pezzetto e l'altro (tenere presente che fondendo il formaggio si espande).
Tagliare i pomodori a metà per lungo e distribuirli sulla superficie, appoggiandoli tra un pezzetto di formaggio e l'altro. Distribuire il basilico sui pomodori. Non ho mai pesato il formaggio o i pomodori, basandomi sul mio senso dell'equilibrio per le quantità: l'idea è di poter distinguere il sapore dei vari ingredienti.
Pizzicare la pasta sfoglia tutto intorno per sollevare leggermente il bordo, poi ripiegarlo su se stesso. Infornare e cuocere fino a quando la crosta è dorata, 25 minuti circa. Come si sa, ogni forno è un po' diverso e quindi è bene controllare la torta dopo 20 minuti e valutare quanto tempo manca.
Tirare fuori la teglia dal forno, far riposare brevemente la torta e poi tagliare e servire. Questo non è un piatto da fare tutti i giorni, dal momento che la pasta sfoglia è ricca di burro. Tagliata a quadrotti, questa torta salata può essere servita come antipasto.
Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 346 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Kris di Tutto a occhio.
Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.
Scrumptious! A marvelous tart, yummy.
Cheers,
Rosa
Posted by: Rosa | August 10, 2012 at 12:51 AM
All I can say is that the photo of the tart needs to be MUCH BIGGER. It is GORGEOUS. I grow so many heirloom tomatoes and get so excited as they ripen. Tomatoes are my favourite food in the entire world. I LOVE THEM. This tart is a work of ART!
:)
Valerie
Posted by: A Canadian Foodie | August 10, 2012 at 05:51 AM
I love the way this looks -- beautiful! And I'm sure tastes delicious! Mmm!
Posted by: Paz | August 10, 2012 at 08:42 AM
Thanks, Rosa.
OK, Valerie, I made the photo of the tart bigger ;) My husband agrees with you: he's publicly declared that tomatoes are his favorite food in the world, which is why this time of the year I buy large quantities. Thanks for the kind words: it's a fun tart to make, because it looks different every time. Congratulations on having your own tomatoes! I am a bit envious. Our coastal climate is not good for tomatoes, as there is not enough sun during the summer.
Thanks, Paz. It is simple and flavorful.
Posted by: Simona Carini | August 11, 2012 at 08:18 AM
Those tomatoes are amazing looking. They're like jewels!
And the tart(???) with homemade colby looks completely brilliant. I'll be right over.
Posted by: Elizabeth | August 12, 2012 at 09:29 AM
I love your use of the word canvas to describe the puff pastry--those tomatoes look so beautiful, painted on in bright strokes of rich red!
Posted by: Molly Hashimoto | August 12, 2012 at 10:43 AM
As Molly said, those are beautiful strokes of red tomatoes.
That you made this tart fours times in last three weeks is a testament to how good it is.
Thank you, Simona, for your super-summery WHB recipe!
Posted by: Susan | August 12, 2012 at 06:58 PM
(Just tried leaving a comment, but I don't think it took.)
As Molly said, the red of those tomatoes is like pigment.
That you have made this tart four times in three weeks is a testament to just how good it is, and how skillful and patient you are with pastry.
Thanks, Simona, for a great contribution to WHB. The round-up will be up tomorrow night.
Posted by: Susan | August 12, 2012 at 07:02 PM
Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for the kind words. I really like this variety of tomatoes. I had them last year for the first time and I was excited to find them again. I made more Colby last week and can't wait to be able to use it on the tart. And of course, you are welcome to come by any time ;)
Hi Molly. That's really how I feel and it's very exciting. I know you understand the feeling. If I were a painter I would like to have those colors on my palette.
You are welcome, Susan. I think the tart is a nice celebration of summer and the tomato crop.
Posted by: Simona Carini | August 13, 2012 at 10:46 PM
You had my attention with tomatoes and sealed the deal with homemade Colby. Looks so tasty!
Posted by: Rachel @ The Crispy Cook | August 14, 2012 at 12:47 AM
Thanks, Rachel. I ran out of my homemade Colby to make these tarts, so now I need to try using other cheeses, while my most recent Colby ages in the cheese fridge.
Posted by: Simona Carini | August 19, 2012 at 02:51 PM