Tomato Tart with Mustard
An easy French recipe that's typical of Provence: a simple puff pastry tart topped with a layer of mustard, grated cheese and topped with sliced fresh tomatoes and herbs.
Equipment
- round tart pan 25cm/10 inch diameter
Ingredients
- 1 230-300g (8oz-10) roll of ready-made puff pastry
- 4-5 large ripe tomatoes preference with little seeds, so not too juicy
- 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 300 g (10½oz/ 1¼ cups) Emmental, Gruyère or comté cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or dried (herbes de Provence)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 5-10 olives (Niçoise, Nyons or green) optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6).
- Roll out the puff pastry and press into a tart pan lined with parchment paper. Pierce the pastry with a fork and spread the mustard evenly all over the surface. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.
- Slice the tomatoes thinly and discard the seeds. Place in a single layer on top of the cheese layer and sprinkle with the herbs. Evenly sprinkle over a little fleur de sel salt (Celtic sea salt or Maldon flakes), a few turns of the pepper mill and dribble over the olive oil in a zig-zag.Add a few olives, if using, or add on top after baking.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Notes
Serve immediately with a simple green salad and top with a little fresh basil or fresh oregano.
Fresh tomatoes: The larger your tomatoes the better. Best made with the large Coeur de Boeuf French tomatoes (Marmande or heirloom), as they have less seeds. However, round tomatoes are great too - but more juicy, so just discard the seeds so that no extra liquid leaks into the pastry.
Cheese: Use emmental, gruyère or comté with more flavour. Parmesan cheese works well too but I don't recommend mozzarella, as it can be too liquid.
Puff Pastry: Great with ready-made - either ready-rolled (32cm/12.5oz diameter) or roll out a block of defrosted pie crust if frozen. I don't recommend placing in the freezer, as puff pastry dough doesn't freeze well once cooked. In France we have packets of around 230g and in the UK it's nearer 320g - either is fine and doesn't change the recipe.
Nutrition per serving per % daily value: 14g protein, 30% total fat, 16% dietary fibre, 7% total carbohydrate.
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcal
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