Today, we pay a great homage to the heirloom tomato. Eating what’s in season is preferable, and today’s visit to Rutiz Farms (www.rutizfarms.com) inspired me to make this recipe once again! This is one of those recipes that impresses and, I believe, one that you will never forget. Your house is guaranteed to smell like garlic, basil, butter, and epicness. It's not an "instant" recipe, but well worth the effort.
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| Green zebras, Red brandywine, and Yellow brandywine heirlooms. |
I'm motivated to make this tart whenever I see great heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms have more flesh when compared to standard tomatoes. More importantly, these are organically grown and full of fresh tomato flavor unlike the flavorless tomatoes that we get from the grocery store. They are so tasty that you can simply slice them thick, sprinkle grey salt, drizzle olive oil over them, and nosh on them with a crusty baguette to great satisfaction. Of course this blog is about phenomenal recipes, so below is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this masterpiece.
INGREDIENTS
Tart Crust
1 ½ cups white unbleached flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
3-5 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
Topping
12-16 oz piece of mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch discs
1 bunch of fresh basil
3 large heirloom tomatoes, ½ inch slices (or 4-5 regular store-bought tomatoes)
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic, minced
black pepper and grey salt (can substitute any sea salt)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
DIRECTIONS
**If you don't have access to a food processor, use the back of a fork to crush the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse and uniform texture. Minimize handling to keep butter cold.
**If you don't have access to a food processor, use the back of a fork to crush the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse and uniform texture. Minimize handling to keep butter cold.
Cut the chilled butter into small pieces. Place in a food processor with the flour and salt.
Process on dough setting with a dough blade until the mixture is uniform. Add 4 tbsp of water, the chopped basil, and minced garlic. Continue to mix until the dough comes together. Add more water, if necessary, to form dough.
Minimizing handling of the dough, form the dough into a ball and press into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Roll the pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap until a ¼
inch thickness is achieved. It will be firm so put some elbow grease into it!! Place dough in an 11-inch tart or pie pan, trimming edges. Poke entire dough surface with a fork. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Place chilled tart crust on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes (turning in 10-min increments) until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven.
Sprinkle garlic over crust and place tomato slices,
mozzarella, and basil in pan. Top
with salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan.
California central coast Pinot Noir courtesy of Tony and Allie!
Pair the tart with a chilled white wine of your liking (we prefer Sauvignon Blanc) or a light California central coast Pinot Noir for a taste of summer!
Adapted from: The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia
