Summer is winding down with an overabundance of ripe tomatoes. Before you immerse yourself in all things fall, why not pay one last homage to summer with a tasty tomato tart and a sumptuous salad with tomato vinaigrette. There’s nothing like vine-ripe tomatoes in Indiana in the summer!

Tomato Tarte Tatin

recipe by Renu Dhar at Food & Wine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise (about 2 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from 1 [17.3-ounce] pkg.), thawed

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Place sugar and vinegar in a 10-inch ovenproof stainless-steel skillet; heat over low, swirling and tilting skillet occasionally, until mixture is light golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Increase heat to medium-low; add 1 tablespoon of the butter, and swirl skillet to spread. Stir in onion, thyme, and salt; cook, stirring often, until onion is lightly caramelized and sauce is deep golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; arrange tomatoes, cut sides down, on top of onion slices.
  2. Place skillet in preheated oven, and bake until tomato skins are wrinkly and have released juices, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Remove skillet from oven. Transfer tomatoes from skillet using a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Transfer onion slices to a paper towel-lined plate; discard remaining juice. Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
  3. While oven is preheating, coat a 9-inch springform pan, (or cast iron skillet, or other oven-safe skillet) with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Gently pat roasted tomatoes using a paper towel to remove extra moisture; arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in an even layer in prepared springform pan until all tomato halves are used. Pat onion mixture dry using a paper towel; place onion slices over tomatoes. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Unfold puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll into a 10-inch square, and cut into a 10-inch round. Carefully center and place round pastry over onion slices, tucking in edges. Prick pastry using the tines of a fork in a handful of spots.
  4. Bake at 425°F until crust is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer springform pan to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges to loosen; remove springform pan ring from pan. Center a plate over pastry crust; carefully invert tarte tatin onto plate. Garnish with additional Parmesan and thyme. Slice and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Make ahead: The tomatoes can be roasted up to three days in advance and refrigerated.

Cook’s Notes: If you’re in a hurry, you can cook the tomatoes gently on the stove top to release some of the moisture, then drain. The flavors may not be as concentrated as if you had roasted but it will be much faster. Be sure to blot the tomatoes and onions dry before topping with the puff pastry to make sure everything stays crisp and not soggy.

Quick Tomato Vinaigrette

recipe by Sonja Overhiser at A Couple Cooks

Ingredients:

  • 1 small or ½ medium tomato (4 ounces), about ½ cup roughly chopped
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Roughly chop the tomato, removing the white cores but keeping the seeds. Add it to a blender with the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and ¼ teaspoon of the kosher salt.
  2. Blend until creamy. Taste and add up to another ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week. Makes 1 ½ cups.

 

Check our archives for more tasty tomato recipes.

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