Sunday 1 July 2012

Tomato and Pesto Tart

Recently I’ve been getting more into savoury cooking. As this blog quite clearly shows, I’m always more of a sweet than savoury girl. I don’t like popcorn but I know if I did I’d be sweet or toffee rather than salt. I’m one of those people who never finds anything too sweet and always makes room for dessert no matter how big the main course. Case in point: in France recently, after ordering the very innocent-sounding ‘steak’ from the menu, what arrived was one of the best but biggest meals of all time: a humongous steak, an onion tart tatin, a pile of garlicky gratin dauphinoise, three different types of vegetable and fries – all on one plate! It was incredible and I severely regret not taking any photos but I still ordered a tiramisu for afterwards…which also turned out to be on the large side. It came in one of those kilner jars, but whereas often desserts are served in mini versions of these, this restaurant served it in full size ones. Full to the brim. Needless to say, it had been a case of eyes larger than stomach and I couldn’t finish it all but I think it proves my dedication to my sweet tooth. However, like I say, I’ve recently become more into savoury cooking.DSCF9036This tart has been a summer staple in my family for a long time and so was a perfect way to begin my savoury journey. When I was younger, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this but now I totally cannot understand why – it is so simple, so addictive and so perfect for summer! Ok, so the weather here at the moment is still a little resistant to admit that it is summer now (it’s July!) but even in the rain this combination is delicious. This recipe was one of those family ones that I’ve always seen my Mum make but never a recipe and as I was home alone I just made it up using a combination of recipes. To be honest, this is so simple it hardly needs a recipe – if you were to use ready made pastry it would just be an assembly job but homemade is often so much nicer.DSCF9043

Tomato and Pesto Tart

Ingredients: 125g butter

190g plain flour

40g grated Parmesan

50ml water

150g pesto

6 plum tomatoes, sliced

1. In a food processor blend the butter, flour and parmesan until it resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water until it forms a smooth dough. Shape into a disc and chill for at least an hour until firm.

2. Preheat the oven to 180’C. Roll the dough on a floured surface to fit a 20-cm buttered fluted loose bottomed tart tin and place in the tin. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or dry rice. Bake for 15minutes, remove the paper and beans and bake for 5-10minutes more until golden. 3. Spread the pesto over the base of the tart case in an even layer. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in rings on top of the pesto, and bake for a further 15minutes until the tomatoes are cooked slightly – keeping an eye on the edges of the pastry so it does not burn. Enjoy!

9 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Savory tarts are wonderful and your looks really delicious! A perfect combination. So summery.

Cheers,

Rosa

Dipika @ The Very Hungry Baker said...

This looks gorgeous! I've actually never made pastry before because I'm a bit scared of it, but I might give this a go!

Dewi said...

Such a delightful tart Lucy. I loe this combo for sure. You are such a talented cook.

Faith said...

Your tart is gorgeous, the perfect foray into savory cooking. I can't wait until tomatoes are in season here and I can use fresh, local tomatoes...they are one of my favorite things about summer! :)

Unknown said...

So pretty! I've been following your blog since I found it two years ago. Today I started my own blog, and I wanted you to know you definitely influenced my decision to do so. I would love if you checked it out. I've 15 and from Texas BTW :)

George@CulinaryTravels said...

This looks so yummy. Perfect for using up the gluts of tomatoes I get in the veg box.

Jo said...

This looks gorgeous, I think I'll have a go at making this! I love the colours.

I've definitely been getting into making more savoury dishes too, tarts/quiches in particular. I'll always be a sweet tooth though. Have you tried the white chocolate from Lidl which has strawberry chunks in it? I tried it today and it's insanely sweet, even by my standards. It hasn't stopped me almost eating the whole block though!

The Caked Crusader said...

Don't the tomatoes look pretty? I love pesto so this really appeals to me

James said...

Blast from the past this one - last made it 14 yrs ago! Seeing it just now instantly thought - savoury frangipane base..... will try it out.