Welcoming 2011 & Tomatoes

I'm so excited to share all of the fantastic posts I have lined up to start off the New Year...I have a back log of fabulous, fabulous food that Steve and I have been cooking over my break from work - including the rest of the phenomenal food we had for Christmas! I posted about the dessert I made, but that's nothing compared to what Steve made us for dinner.

For a pre-dinner snack before celebrating New Year's with our great neighbors/friends Rob and Jill, I made a tart. I've made this cherry tomato tart from La Tartine Gourmande a few times in the past...but I've never actually tasted it before because I always hated tomatoes! But, since I welcomed tomatoes into my eating regime in 2010, I was able to find out first hand just how scrumptious this tart is!

In the past I've used store-bought puff pastry for the crust, but this time around I made a pâte brisée which I think worked very well, and is much cheaper than buying puff pastry at Whole Foods.

And, with the extra crust I cut out a little New Year's message!


A close up of the tomato-y goodness:


I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year's and are enjoying the start of 2011!

Cherry Tomato Tart
From La Tartine Gourmande
(For a 14 x 4.5″ rectangular mold, serve 4 small portions)

Ingredients

• About 9 oz puff pastry or pâte brisée (see recipe below)
  
• 14 oz cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mustard à l’ancienne (note: I used Dijon)
  
• 3.5 oz fresh goat cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  
• A few black olives
• 1 teaspoon fine sugar
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts

Steps:

• Roll the dough and place it in the mold. Make holes with a fork and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat your oven at 420 F and precook your tart for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Slice your tomatoes in halves.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and when hot, add the tomatoes and cook on high heat for 2 minutes.
• Then add the chopped garlic and sugar, and cook for 2 extra minutes, tossing them. Remove and set aside.
• Mix together the egg and the goat cheese. Work to get a homogeneous consistency.
• Add the chopped parsley and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
• Turn down the oven temperature to 350 F.
• Spread the mustard on top of the tart and then spread the egg/cheese mixture over.
• Arrange the tomatoes on top and cook the tart in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove and let cool before adding the sliced olives and the chopped mint.
• Dry roast the pine nuts and sprinkle them on top. Eat the tart hot or warm.

Pâte Brisée
From La Tartine Gourmande

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
• 7 Tbsp cold butter (or margarine)
• Dash of salt
• Cold water (about 6 to 7 Tbsp)

Steps:

• To make the crust, place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and use your hook attachment.
  
• Add the salt and cold butter cut in pieces and start mixing.
  
• Slowly add cold water. Add enough so that the dough detaches from the bowl.

Note: I just used my pastry cutter instead of my mixer, cutting in the butter and then used my hands to work in the cold water until I had a cohesive dough.