Tomato Parmesan Tart

Tomato Parmesan Tart

Here's one of my go-to recipes when I need to serve a vegetarian lunch or if I'm looking for a lighter meal that still feels like a little treat. Anything with pastry is a bit of an indulgence so this tart really isn't a sacrifice at all. Some sweet, fresh, very small, vine tomatoes were used for this particular tart but I usually use even smaller cherry tomatoes. What makes this tart work particularly well is to cut the tomatoes in half, keeping the cut sides up so that the skins act as little boats, keeping most of the tomato's juices stay contained and do not make the bottom crust soggy as it bakes.

The pastry on this occasion was also gluten free to accommodate another dietary restriction. I just used an all purpose gluten free flour blend that was made up of mostly brown rice and sorghum flour. Since a short crust is used in this recipe it actually worked pretty well and everyone enjoyed it.

Fresh is the key to this simple recipe. Tomatoes at their best and fresh chopped herbs is what really makes this easy recipe and of course, the best Parmesan cheese you can get your hands on. Try it for a weekend lunch or as a simple, delicious, appetizer course for a dinner party.

Tomato Parmesan Tart

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Tomato Parmesan Tart - perfect for a celebration lunch with a gluten free option for the pastry too. It would also make a simple light appetizer course for your next dinner party.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
• 1/2 cup very cold butter
• pinch salt
• 3 tbsp cold water (approximately)
• about 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (oregano, chives, etc.)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, add the flour, salt and cold butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, then pulse in the water. The dough will probably still be crumby.
3. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch tart pan. Chill while you prepare the tomato filling.
4. Cut the tomatoes in half. Place in a large bowl and add the herbs, Parmesan, olive oil, brown sugar, black pepper and a pinch of salt to season. Toss together well.
5. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up in a single layer in the prepared crust. Spoon any leftover cheese and herbs in the bowl over the tops of the tomatoes.
6. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes in the preheated 4oo degree F oven.
7. Serve with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. 

Tomato Parmesan Tart, ready for the oven.

Summer Peach Custard Tart

This beautiful summer tart is so simple and so utterly delicious, folks will think that you slaved over a hot oven to make it. The truth is it takes only a few minutes to prepare for the oven. With fresh Ontario peaches in the stores at the moment, I couldn't resist using my favorite summer fruit in this incredible tart. We served it at dinner last week and then everyone in the house fought over the leftovers. I practically never have seconds of dessert but went looking for thirds of this perfect summer fruit dessert. 

Crust

1 3/4 cups graham crumbs 

1/3 cup melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

Mix together well and press into the bottom and sides of an 11 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved:

1 cup full fat sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Pour this into the baked shell. Thickly slice into wedges:

4 to 5 ripe peaches, depending on size.

You want to slice the peaches thick so that they stick out of the cream filling. Add only enough of the slices to bring the custard to the top of the pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees F, until the center is set and jiggly. Cool completely in the fridge before cutting and serving.

Easy Summer Fruit Cookie Tarts

Easy Summer Fruit Cookie Tarts

Sometimes the simplest  of experiments yield amazing results.  That couldn't be more true than with these beautiful little summer fruit tarts. There was some leftover cookie dough in the fridge that had been there for a couple of days and I honestly thought of tossing it in the trash but as everybody knows, I hate to throw out anything. There is also an abundance of fruit in the house at the moment, we always seem to overbuy but then again, it rarely gets tossed out; we always seem to find some way to use it. 

I broke out some of my individual fluted tart pans, pressed the cookie dough into them without even rolling it out, added some sliced strawberries, sliced black velvet apricots, and a handful of frozen blueberries from the freezer , sprinkled a little sugar on top of the fruit and tossed them into the oven. I didn't expect much to be honest, thinking the juicy fruit might drown the cookie dough completely and I'd be left with a soggy mess that would still end up in the garbage bin. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained and the trash bin was the cookie dough's initial destination anyway, so no big deal anyway, I thought.

Easy Summer Fruit Cookie Tarts

Wow! These little tarts are amazing. I only made three and everyone in the house insisted on sampling each one! They were all absolutely delicious! This particular cookie dough held up perfectly, providing a crispy edged buttery vanilla pastry that didn't crumble into a million pieces but wasn't too soft to hold its own shape either. They were perfect!

I'm already thinking of new fruits to try in them and thinking about a full sized peach tart as an experiment when the Niagara peaches arrive. This turned out to be one of my favorite new recipes this summer and a lesson that a little kitchen experimentation can be a wonderful thing.

Cookie Dough Crust

Sift together:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream together until light and fluffy:

• 1 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar

Add and beat well:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fold in the dry ingredients until crumbly, then press the dough into a ball , wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a half hour. Press the cookie dough into tart pans about a 1/4 inch thick on the bottom and sides.

Add any sliced fruit or berries into the pastry shell and sprinkle each one with 1/2 tsp sugar. You can probably omit the sugar if you'd rather just have the natural sweetness of the fruit. Some fruit and berry suggestions include:

• blueberries
• strawberries
• peaches
• plums
• nectarines
• blackberries 
• raspberries

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F until evenly dark golden brown at the edges. You want some good dark color to the cookie crust to make sure they are fully baked. Cool on a wire rack to almost room temperature before removing from the pans to cool completely. These would also be excellent served warm with a scoop of good vanilla bean ice-cream.

Raspberry Chocolate Vanilla Custard Tart

This one was the result of cleaning out the fridge. The pastry was already in the freezer and so was the raspberry sauce which was leftover from a birthday cake I made earlier this week. I just made the custard and threw it all together for dessert last night...once agian indulging my love for anything raspberry.

For the pastry:
½ cup butter, cut in small pieces
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives, leaving small peas sized pieces of butter throughout the mixture. Add egg and vanilla and mix together only enough to make a dough form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a half hour before rolling out.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 9 inch tarte pan or pie plate. You will need to blind bake this crust for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F before removing the baking weights and baking for an additional 5 minutes. Cool the crust completely. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy. Let the dough hang a half inch past the rim of the pan to allow for shrinkage as the pastry shell bakes. Any excess can be trimmed off when the shell is still hot out of the oven.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.)


Raspberry Topping

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

1 ½ tsp corn starch dissolved in ¼ cup water

Slowly simmer raspberries, sugar and water for about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn starch mixture stirring constantly and cook for an additional minute. Cool completely.

Vanilla Custard

In a microwave safe bowl combine and scald almost to boiling

1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine

1/4 cup flour1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Over medium flame slowly add the scalded milk whisking constantly.Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture begins to slightly thicken. At this point remove from heat and pour about a half cup of this mixture onto

2 slightly beaten extra large egg yolks

whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the pot, continuing to constantly stir. Cook for an additional minute or two until pudding consistency and remove from the flame.

Stir in

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour the custard into the cooled pastry shell and cool completely before adding the raspberry topping. Garnish with raspberries, and shaved or melted chocolate when serving.

Lemon Blueberry Tart

Lemon Blueberry Tart

This recipe makes two of these large tarts which I find is great for making and gifting the second tart or for bringing both to a large pot-luck gathering. For some reason, people are a little disappointed if I don't bring dessert to those sorts of communal feasts. ;) You can always divide the recipe in half if you need just one.

Lemon and blueberry are two of my favorite flavors and I'm always looking for an excuse to combine them. I think they go particularly well together in this simple tart.

Recipe makes two 10 inch tarts

Graham Crust

Lightly grease two ten inch tart pans or two 9 inch pie plates.

Mix together:

4 cups graham wafer crumbs
1 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Divide the crumb mixture in half and press into the bottom and sides of the tart pans and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool thoroughly.

Lemon Blueberry Tart

Lemon Filling:
1/3 cup corn starch
1/3 cup cake flour
pinch salt
1 ½ cups sugar
5 egg yolk slightly beaten
Zest of 2 large lemons, very finely chopped
Juice of 2 large lemons
2 cups water
3 tbsp butter

In a medium saucepan, combine corn starch, cake flour, sugar and salt. Pour in water and stir constantly over medium low heat until mixture comes to a slow boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and reduce the flame to low. Pour about a cup of this mixture onto the slightly beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture back into the rest of the other mixture in the pot, whisking constantly. Return to the stove and cook for an additional 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and lemon rind. Finally whisk in your butter one tbsp at a time. Allow the filling to cool to warm before pouring into the baked crusts. Cool thoroughly.

Blueberry Topping
4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 rounded tablespoons corn starch

Bring the berries and sugar to a gentle boil. Mix the corn starch with the water and add slowly to the boiling berry mixture stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 additional minutes stirring constantly. Cool and pour over the lemon layer. Chill the completed tarts for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tuxedo Tarts

Thanks to Janette who suggested a garnish of White Chocolate Whipped Cream to my Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tarte; it inspired this little invention. I previewed these photos over on the Rock Recipes Facebook group as I often do with completed recipes that I haven't gotten around to actually writing yet, and I got so many message responses from it that I decided to post it here right away. Really, it is just a variation on the Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tart that was posted a couple of weeks back. Find that recipe here: http://nlrockrecipes.com/2008/11/strawberry-chocolate-truffle-tarte.html

These do present nicely as individual tarts which are a great idea for the upcoming holiday entertaining season. I made them in 4 inch individual tart pans but they could easily be made in muffin tins if you don't have such pans. The baking time has to be adjusted of course; I found that these tarts only took 15 minutes in the oven after baking the pastry shells. I'd estimate about 10 minutes if baked in muffin tins.

The addition to these tarts is a white chocolate flavoured whipped cream that I piped on top to envelop a fresh, ripe strawberry, the recipe for which follows.

White Chocolate Whipped Cream

Scald to almost boiling in the microwave

1/4 cup whipping cream

Pour immediately over

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Let stand for five minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, beat to firm peaks

1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk in the white chocolate mixture in three equal portions until well incorporated. Chill for an hour or two before piping the cream on top of the tarts. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes a very nice garnish for many other desserts as well.

Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tarte

Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tarte

This is an idea that I had based upon my Tarte au Chocolat recipe. When I make Chocolate Dipped Strawberries I usually use chocolate ganache instead of plain melted chocolate because it melts in your mouth faster making the flavours combine better. So... a chocolate truffle tarte with strawberries on top seemed like a natural. It was well appreciated by the in-laws who came for Sunday supper this weekend. The leftovers were divided between three friends who were lucky enough to find a surprise on their doorsteps yesterday.

Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Tarte

A word about the chocolate for this recipe before you begin. Good quality chocolate is essential for this recipe. I use chocolate that has an absolute minimum of 50 % cocoa. I think darker is better but tastes vary.

For the pastry:
½ cup butter, cut in small pieces
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives, leaving small peas sized pieces of butter throughout the mixture. Add egg and vanilla and mix together only enough to make a dough form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a half hour before rolling out.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 9 inch tarte pan or pie plate. You will need to blind bake this crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F before adding the filling. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy. Let the dough hang a half inch past the rim of the pan to allow for shrinkage as the pastry shell bakes. Any excess can be trimmed off when the shell is still hot out of the oven.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.)

For the chocolate filling:

7 ounces (by weight) dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
7 ounces whipping cream
3 ounces milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 large beaten egg

Bring the cream and milk just to boiling and pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes and whisk together until smooth. Cool for about 10 minutes before whisking in the beaten egg and vanilla.

Pour into the blind baked shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The center can still be a little wobbly at this point. The surface should still be shiny. Cool thoroughly before topping with fresh strawberries. Garnish with a drizzle of melted chocolate if desired.

Blueberry Nectarine Tart

Thanks to all who emailed to say thanks for the Signal Hill photographs. It seems in showing some international readers our little corner of the world, I set off a wave of homesickness for those transplanted Newfoundlanders who also regularly read this blog from far off places. ;)

The remainder of the blueberries form our short berry picking session on Signal Hill made their way into this very simple tart which was enjoyed by myself and the neighbours. This one is also particularly good served with some good vanilla ice cream.

Sour Cream Pastry
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup very cold butter cut in small pieces
¾ cup sour cream
½ tsp salt

Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour sour cream over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible. Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll one of the dough rounds into a circle about 2 inches larger than the diameter of an 8 or 9 inch tart pan. You can freeze the other dough round for another time. Place the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan being very careful not to stretch the dough and leaving a little extra over the edge of the pan to allow for shrinkage as the crust bakes. Blind bake the crust for about 15 minutes before adding the filling. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 -15 minutes. Remove baking weights and parchment (or foil).Bake for an additional. Remove from oven and trim any excess crust from the pan with a sharp knife run around the top edge.

For the filling cut in slices:
3 small nectarines

Arrange the nectarine slices in a single layer on the blind baked crust. Do not overlap them and leave about a ½ inch between the slices.

Mix together

1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn starch

Add this mixture to

2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen, they MUST be thawed and at room temperature before using them in this recipe)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
¼ tsp cinnamon

Toss together gently until well combined and spread evenly over the nectarine slices. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet to catch any potential spills as the tart bakes.Bake at 375 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes or until the center of the tart is bubbling. Cool for a half hour before serving with good vanilla Ice cream.

Plum Tart

Plum Tart

Simple is almost always best. This very simple dessert relies on the natural goodness of the uncomplicated ingredients. Fresh sweet plums with a brown sugar glaze on a butter and sour cream pastry, what could be better? The only way to improve on that is with a scoop of homemade vanilla gelato on the side.

Sour Cream Pastry

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup butter cut in small pieces
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup cold water
• ½ tsp salt

Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour sour cream and cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible. Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out. You will need only one of the pastry rounds for this recipe. The second can be easily frozen for another time.

Roll the pastry out into a 9 inch circle and place in an 8-9 inch fluted edge tart pan.
You will need to blind bake this bottom crust before adding the fruit. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.) Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 -15 minutes. Remove baking weights and parchment (or foil). Bake for an additional 5 -10 minutes until the bottom is a light golden brown. Remove from oven.

In a small pot melt

• 2 tbsp butter

Add:

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg

Cook together over medium heat for a couple of minutes to slightly caramelize; just until the brown sugar is no longer grainy.

Cut 3-4 large plums into thin wedges and arrange them over the blind baked pastry. Brush the glaze all over the arranged plums. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes. Let the tart rest for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and serving. Delicious with Vanilla Gelato.