Tomato Tart with Anchovies and Herbs Recipe

July 21, 2020

Tomato Tart with Anchovies and Herbs

Serves 6

 

Tart Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

6 tablespoons ice water

 

Combine the flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, break down the chilled butter in the flour until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces. Add the vinegar and water and use a fork to combine. Use your hands to bring it together into one mostly uniform dough, but be sure to not overwork it, to prevent the gluten from developing. Cut the dough into two pieces, wrap in plastic and put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. Place the second disk of dough in the freezer if you don’t plan to use it right away.

 

Filling

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 sprigs of thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2-3 heirloom tomatoes

1 egg, whisked

 

Oil cured anchovies, preferably Ortiz brand, or your favorite olives, pitted

1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, basil, chives and/or chervil, roughly chopped

Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the onions, thyme and salt and let sweat on low until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and oregano, and cook for a few more minutes to marry the flavors. Lay the onion mixture out on a flat surface to cool completely. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the tomatoes, about 1/4 inch thick and lay them on a paper towel. Salt the tomatoes and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Pat tomatoes dry before building the tart. 

To build the tart, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8 inch thick and place it onto a parchment lined sheet tray. Dust the top with flour to help absorb excess liquid from the onions. Scatter the onion mixture on the base of the tart, leaving about 2 inches around the border. Arrange the tomatoes tightly together, but don’t overlap. Fold the edges over the tomatoes to create the crust, overlapping as needed. Brush the crust with the egg to create a lovely, golden brown crust once baked. 

Place the whole tart in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill the butter back down, then bake it in the oven for about 45-55 minutes. The crust should be deeply golden brown. Once cooked, place the tart onto a rack to allow the bottom crust to crisp up. Once cool, top with anchovies and the herbs. Serve alongside a salad with a mustardy-shalloty vinaigrette!