Let’s celebrate the arrival of summer with this irresistible Tomato Tarte Tatin. A classic French dish revisited in a stunning savory version – candied tomatoes topped with caramelized onions all enveloped by a delicate and flaky puff crust, on adore! The dough is a little trickier to work with than a classic pastry dough but it’s totally worth it! Not to mention how amazing it is to watch your own puff pastry rise in the oven, a real treat for the eyes! Just make sure to keep that dough cold through the process and everything is going to work out.
Serves 4
1 cup + 6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup iced water
6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter (European butter works best)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, medium size
20-25 red large cherry tomatoes, ripe (enough to fill your baking plate)
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp vinegar balsamic
Oregano
1 puff pastry dough
Step 1
1- Blend flour with cornstarch using a whisk and preserve 1/4 cup for step 2.
2- Stir in the oil and salt into the flour mix and mix the best you can using a fork or your fingers. The ideal texture should have no big clumps of flour and the oil should be nearly invisible.
3- Slowly, little by little, add the ice cold water pressing ingredients together using a spatula first then your hands to form a cushion like shape. No need to make a smooth surface, it will smooth out by itself during the folding process. The constituency of the dough should be pliable, not damp nor sticky.
4- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for 40 minutes.
Step 2
5- When the dough is about to be ready to be rolled out, beat the chilled butter with a rolling pin to soften it. Add the preserved 1/4 cup of flour mix to the butter and combine until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread, but still cold. If the butter has softened too much, place it in the fridge at the time to roll out the dough, that should do it.
6- Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it.
7- Lightly flour the dough on both sides to make sure it doesn’t stick to the working surface.
8- Roll the dough into a 10 inches long – 6 inches wide rectangle.
9- Spread the butter mixture over the upper 2/3 of the dough, leaving about 1.5 inches unbuttered borders all around (1).
10- Fold the bottom unbuttered over half of the buttered surface (2), then fold the top buttered over it (3).
11- Rotate the dough 90 degrees so that the top flap is vertical (4).
12- Lightly flour the dough on both sides and roll it into a 10 inches long so it will be long enough to be folded in 4 layers.
13- Fold the top and bottom edges so that they meet at the center (5), then fold again both edges towards the center (6).
14- Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. The dough needs to be kept cold and firm to ensure the butter does not combine with the layers while rolling.
15- Once the dough is chilled, repeat the folding process one more time to create more layers of dough/butter: Roll into a long rectangular, fold just like we did (2), (3), (4), roll again into a long rectangular and repeat folding (5), (6). Make sure the dough stays cold during the process, if not, place the dough back into the freezer for a few minutes.
16- Wrap into plastic and place the dough in the fridge overnight. For the best result, do not skip this important step.
1- Preheat the oven to 390F (200C).
2- Melt butter and olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions with salt and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3- Meanwhile, slice off the top part with the eye of each cherry tomato.
4- Add tomatoes to the skillet, side cut down.
5- Add sugar and honey with a pinch of salt and cook partially covered over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes (beware things goes faster in a cast iron skillet, the cover won’t be necessary), the tomatoes should be soft but not completely mushy.
6- Using a wooden spoon, gently press without crushing on each tomato so they release some of their juice. Without cover, let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes, the time for the juice to reduce.
7- Season with oregano, salt and pepper.
8- Add vinegar balsamic, swirl gently your skillet, then let it reduce for 2 minutes.
9- Transfer first the tomatoes onto a pie dish using a pair of cooking tongs. Place them with the side cut upward. (If you are using a metallic pie dish, add a piece of parchment paper at the bottom to ensure tomatoes won’t stick to it).
10- Arrange the caramelized onions on top of tomatoes.
11- Remove the puff pastry from the fridge, and unwrap it.
12- Roll out the dough on a working surface that has been generously dusted with flour (you can always roll the dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper if you prefer).
13- Roll until the dough is large enough to be cut into a round the size of your pie dish. Set aside what’s left of the dough in the fridge if you want to make puff pastry bites.
14- Cover the tomatoes and onions with the dough and tuck edges into the baking plate.
15- Bake the tart until the crust is puffed and golden-brown for about 20-25 minutes at 390F (200C). Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
16- Run a knife around the pastry to loosen it from the edges and flip the tart out onto a serving platter. Best enjoyed the same day.
Cheers Xx
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