Rustic Tomato Pie

  

One thing I really love about the summer months is the availability of fresh garden tomatoes.  Each year I usually take advantage of their abundance and bake us a Country Tomato Pie.  

I cannot tell a lie, its fabulously tasty, but it is a bit of work with making and rolling out the pastry, etc.  A most delicious solution to this is this Rustic Tomato Pie I am sharing with you today. 

In fact I think this Rustic version is even more delicious!!

 

We have not grown our own tomatoes this year.  The pandemic means we were not able to get out and about to get seedlings, etc.  Instead I have been buying a crate of fresh heirloom tomatoes from The Tomato Stall every couple of weeks.  

And let me tell you, they have been worth every penny. You have never tasted such delicious tomatoes apart from growing your own.  Grown on the Isle of Wight, they are just beautiful and so flavour filled!  (And no they have not paid me or given me free tomatoes to say that. I have bought my own tomatoes.)

 

They are really fabulous tomatoes, and so pretty. 

Far too pretty to hide underneath something like the cheese filling in my regular tomato pie recipe.

 

May I present my Rustic Tomato Tart, a flavour filled riff on my Country Tomato Pie. 

 

It lacks nothing that is present in the original recipe. There are plenty of thick and juicy ripe tomatoes.  Fresh herbs, basil and thyme  . . .

 

Two tasty cheeses  . . .  gruyere (which is a swiss cheese) and Parmesan  . . . and rich mayonnaise  . . .

 

The cheeses get mixed with the mayonnaise and fresh herbs and spread on a base of all-butter puff pastry, and then topped with a layer of rich caramelised onions  . . .

 

I treat the tomatoes with salt and sugar while I am caramelising the onions, which draws out some of the moisture and helps to enhance the flavours of these delicious beauties.

 

These get layered on top of the caramelised onions  . . .  I like to scatter plenty of coarse black pepper on top of the tomatoes. 

You won't need salt as they've already been salt treated.

 

I then dolloped more of the mayo mixture here and there on top of the tomatoes.  Not a lot, just a bit here and there . . .

  

The edges of the tart are brushed with a mix of egg yolk and cream . . .  it helps to gild the edges when baking  . . .  so pretty . . .

 

The tart then gets baked in a fairly hot oven  . . . .

 

Just long enough to get that puff pastry crisp and golden brown  . . .

 

Long enough to turn that mayo, herb and cheese filling into something incredibly lush and unctuously delicious . . .

  

The tomatoes just barely cooked . . .  but still retaining quite a lot of their beautiful textures and flavours  . . .  

 

Just look at their beautiful jewel-like colours  . . .  gold and ruby and russet . . . stunning.

  

I tore up a few more basil leaves to garnish the finished tart.  Perfection. This Rustic Tomato Pie was pure and utter perfection.

Rustic Tomato Pie

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Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

This delicious tomato pie is a lot easier to make than the regular one, but every bit as delicious if not more so!

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and cut  julienne
• 220g mayonnaise (1 cup)
• 60g grated Gruyere cheese (1/2 cup)
• 90g grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
• 2 1/2 TBS chopped fresh basil, plus extra to garnish
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• coarse black pepper
• 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
• 1 large free range egg yolk
• 1 TBS milk or light cream

Instructions:

1. Slice your tomatoes. Sprinkle them with the seasalt and sugar and then sit them in a colander set over a bowl to drain.
2. While they are draining, melt the butter in a skillet. Add your sliced onion and cook them slowly over medium low heat, stirring occasionally for 25 to 30  minutes until lightly caramelised. Remove from the heat.
3. Stir the mayonnaise, both cheeses and the chopped herbs together.
4. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Line a large baking sheet with some baking paper.
5. Unroll the puff pastry and place onto the baking sheet. Score a rim 1/2 inch around the outsides of the sheet of pastry.  Prick all over the centre using a fork.  Spread with 3/4 of the mayonnaise mixture, reserving the remainder to dot the top of the tart.
6. Sprinkle the caramelised onions over the mayonnaise mixture on the tart base.
7. Pat the tomato slices dry and arrange them over the top of the caramelise onions in a decorative manner.  Season with some coarse black pepepr.
8. Dollop the remainder of the mayonnaise mixture here and there on top of the tomatoes.
9. Whisk together the egg yolk and cream/milk.  Brush this mixture on the border around the tart edge.
10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crisp and golden, and the cheese filling has melted.
11. Garnish with some fresh basil and serve, cut into squares.

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I doubt I will ever bake my regular tomato pie again.  This was so easy to make and incredibly delicious once done  . . .  I mean puff pastry . . .  I adore puff pastry.  I have created a new favourite!  

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