It’s tomato season!
I must admit that when it comes to growing tomatoes, I am a little obsessed! I always plant the seeds of way too many varieties (this year, I think, between 20 and 30) then I have to find the space, and the time, to plant them! The last of the plants went in around a month ago, and are doing nicely. Those that were planted in November and December are fruiting well, and keeping us well supplied.
Being a little time poor at the moment, I recently spent some time, washing and de-seeding tomatoes – sounds weird, I know, but I just wash the tomatoes, cut them in half and squeeze the seeds out into a strainer set over a bowl. The tomatoes were popped into a large bag, and when done I worked the seeds in the strainer a little, just so I could save the juice and pop into the bag before I sealed it. The seeds were placed in the bin as I didn’t fancy all those tomato plants randomly popping up in the garden, and a 2.5kg bag of tomatoes is now in the freezer ready for when I have time to make more sauce.
The other tomato task to be done, was to go down to the veggie patch and bring in any tomatoes that were showing sign of colour. We’d had over 30 ml (a bit over an inch) of rain and I knew that I would be confronted with fruit that was splitting. I went down with my smaller basket, but had to come up and get another, the fruit is now inside and I am hoping that the wounds will heal and allow the fruit to ripen so that I can use it either fresh, or freeze it for another day. I know that the way I have the tomatoes set up looks a little weird/unconventional, but wanted to make sure that there’s plenty of airflow to try and prevent the fruit from rotting before the wounds heal and they ripen. We will see… (Total rainfall over 3 days was 67 ml (approx. 2 & 2/3 inches) so it’s a tad damp under foot at the moment!)
Now, that night was steak night, and one of my favourite sauces to accompany steak, well I think you would call it a sauce, other’s may call it a side, is Balsamic Glazed Tomatoes – I like to spoon the tomatoes over the cooked steak and serve simply with green beans and mash. I normally use standard cherry tomatoes, but instead I used Black Plum.
These balsamic glazed tomatoes are also delicious spooned into individual blind baked tart shells to be served as canapes or an entree, and are always very popular. (I thought that the recipe had already been included in my recipe files, but have just discovered that it isn’t! I’ll get that sorted and it will appear in “My Latest Recipe” which you will find either to the right of your screen on the home page, or you may need to scroll down a bit to find it on your phone. You will also be able to find in the recipe files or by doing a search. Just give me a few days to get that sorted. )
If you’ve read my previous post, you may have gathered that I make tomato tarts. It’s one dish that I absolutely love to make when the tomatoes are in season – in fact I only make them when tomatoes are in season. It might be a galette or a tart, but it’s always perfect for showcasing all of the beautiful varieties of tomatoes, and the flavour is delicious!
My galette recipe is now in the recipe files here, but wanted to mention variations so that you don’t feel locked in to just one form or flavour combination. When I baked my first tart for the season, I didn’t have enough soft cheese to combine with herbs to be spread over the base of the tart – I did have a little soft goats cheese, but not enough, however, in the pantry was a jar of Edmond Fallot – Moutarde au Basilic, it was the perfect alternative. I then arranged the beautiful tomatoes over the mustard, and to gild the lily, finished the tart with the goats cheese before baking. I might add, I used the very first tomatoes of the season, just two Amish Paste, tomatoes, and I think two Black Cherry tomatoes.
Another option to use in place of the cream cheese and herbs on the base of the tart, as I discovered when watching Michel Roux Jr. cooking in the south of France, is freshly made tapenade, my mouth was watering as I watched him assemble and bake the tart.
The perfect way to showcase heirloom tomatoes when in season. This is a true summer tart!
- 750 g heirloom tomatoes different colours and sizes, if you can get them
- 350 g shortcrust pastry
- 150 g soft cheese
- 25 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 clove garlic crushed, or finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped basil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp finely sliced shallot
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Small basil leaves to garnish.
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Line a tray with paper towel or a tea towel.
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Thickly slice the tomatoes( 6-7mm/1/4” thick) and lay in a single layer on the paper towel or a tea towel.
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Line a baking tray or pizza try with baking paper.
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Roll pastry out to a 30cm/12” circle and carefully lay on the prepared baking tray. Place into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to rest.
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Combine soft cheese, parmesan, garlic, basil together and season with salt and pepper.
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Preheat oven to 210˚C/420˚F.
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Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and spread the cream cheese mixture over the base, leaving a space of 3-4cm/ 1-11/2” around the edge.
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Lay the tomato slices in overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outer edge of the cheese layer, until you have used all of the tomatoes.
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Sprinkle with the finely sliced shallots, a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and then carefully turn the uncovered edges up over the outer edge of the tomatoes.
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Brush pastry with egg wash and bake in pre-heated oven for 35 - 45 minutes, until golden and the tomatoes have caramelised.
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Remove from the oven and allow too cool a little before serving.
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Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve warm, or at room temperature, with lightly dressed salad greens.
- Laying the sliced tomatoes on the paper towel and leaving them uncovered, removes excess moisture and reduces the risk of a soggy galette and helps the tomatoes caramelise.
- For the soft cheese you could use, chévre, mascarpone, quark, whipped cottage cheese, marinated feta, ricotta, etc.
- Feel free to use fresh herbs of your choice. You could even add a sprinkling of fresh chilli if it’s your thing.
- You can purchase soft cheese with garlic and herbs at the supermarket, which also works perfectly in this recipe.
- You could use a sheet of frozen pastry.
Until next time…
Enjoy tomato season, happy gardening and,
Bon appétit!
Tomato Recipes:
- Homemade Tomato Sauce / Ketchup
- Roasted Tomato Soup with Sour Cream and Pesto
- Tomato Crostini
- Tomato Galette
Beautiful variety of tomatoes you have grown in your garden and the tomato tarts look amazing and so delicious looking too. It is such pleasure growing tomatoes 🙂