Side Dishes, Savory Snacks & Starters, Vegetarian (or easy fix)
Recipe:
The original is from my mom, who got it from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/338995/tomato-tart Go to her website if you want the original. Stay here if you want my tweaked version.
This whole recipe takes quite awhile start-to-finish, but lots of that time is waiting. Make sure you read through it all and start early enough. You can roast the garlic a day or two ahead (if you've got the oven on for something else).
For the crust (for a 10" tart pan):
1 1/3 c. flour (175 g)
1/2 t. salt
5-6 T. shortening -- I used 65 g
3-4 T. ice cold water
For the filling:
2 heads garlic
about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
3 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated
about 20 oz. firm but ripe tomatoes
kosher salt
South African Smoke seasoning grind (from Trader Joe's)... or your favorite yummy seasoning shake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim top of garlic heads (just open up the cloves). Put garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a little olive oil (2 t ??). Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. **Start crust now** Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
Make crust: Mix flour and salt. Use pastry blender to cut in shortening. Make moat in flour and sprinkle in the water. Stir minimally, only until moistened. Roll out on floured waxed paper. Fold in half and transfer to 10" tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes (or can be done earlier in the day).
Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. YOU WILL TURN THE OVEN DOWN TO 400 F AS SOON AS YOU PUT THE TART IN THE OVEN. When garlic is cool enough to handle, using either your hands or the dull end of a large knife, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and mix with about 1 T. olive oil and a little kosher salt to taste (no, really, taste it... got enough salt? add a little more if you haven't hit a nice balance of garlicky-salty goodness yet).
Prep the tomatoes:
Slice them 1/4" thick, cut out any white core, poke out the seeds with a knife or your fingers, and lay on a tea towel for about 15 minutes to pull out some watery liquid.
Construct the tart:
Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and South African Smoke. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature.
I was shocked at how good this turned out... and even more shocked when I discovered that the leftovers (left loosely covered on the kitchen counter) were at least as good on the second day!
