Classic French Tomato Mustard Tart (Tarte à la tomate)
This savory Tomato Mustard Tart is a classic Summer recipe that French home cooks love to make every year when tomatoes are in season. It features a buttery puff pastry, with in-season ripe tomatoes, a sprinkle of grated cheese and a heavy smear of Dijon Mustard at the bottom. There are a number of variations to this classic Summer dish, including some with ham, anchovies, olives, etc… But if you ask me, this basic one is simply wonderful as is. With just a few ingredients (puff pastry crust, tomatoes, Dijon…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2lbs (900g) ripe tomatoes
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 (370g) ready-rolled puff pastry
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 cups (200g) grated cheese (ie. Gruyère or Comté) Optional: 2 tbsp bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp Herbs de Provence
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read my cooking tips before you start.
- 2
Step 1 - Two hours before, slice the tomatoes and lay the slices on a cutting board. Salt them on both sides and lay them flat on a cooling rack. They will loose some of their juice so the crust doesn’t get too soggy when baking.
- 3
Pre-heat your oven to 425F (220C) with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9 or 10 inch tart pan/pie dish. Unroll the puff pastry sheet and fit it into a pan. If needed, cut the excess that hangs from the edges. Poke the dough all over with a fork.
- 4
Step 2 -Evenly spread the Dijon Mustard over the bottom. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cup (150g) of grated cheese on top. Optional: Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs – they will absorb the juice from the tomatoes.
- 5
Step 3 - Arrange the tomato slices in the pastry crust in an overlapping pattern and in an even layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and Herbs de Provence. Repeat the process until no tomato slices remain; you should be able to have three layers of tomato slices. Sprinkle again with a pinch of salt, black pepper, Herbs de Provence and the remaining 1/2 cup (50g) of grated cheese.
- 6
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust looks crisp and golden. Enjoy warm or cool.