Here it is Bastille Day and where am I? Sadly, not in France!
But my mind, my heart and my taste buds are there…
I woke up wondering what we should do to celebrate from this distance…
When we were in Provence for my 50th birthday several years ago, we had several lovely meals with Pierre and Muriel, mutual friends of Susan and Towny of The Modern Trobadors.
Pierre and Muriel used to own a little bookshop and salon de thé a couple doors down from Susan and Towny’s home in Lourmarin – Le Thé dans l’Encrier. The café was well know for its Tarte aux Tomates. We had it several times, even though Muriel and Pierre had sold the business. Sadly, this little gem of a café has since gone under.
When we dined on the rooftop of their home, Muriel served the most delectable Crumble au Poulet – a savory crumble that I will make for you someday when the weather is cooler. But we never had her version of the Tarte aux Tomates.
Upon our return to the States, I checked with Susan and Towny to see if they had her recipe for the tarte. Happily, they did and shared it with me. And, on this Fête de la Bastille, I share it with you. It makes a perfect light meal – one that reminds us of being in France.
Like other recipes we have from Muriel’s kitchen, the directions and amounts are not precise but, once you start putting it together, they all make perfect sense.
The original recipe calls for puff pastry but, as I am not the biggest fan of the frozen pastry we can get here in the States, I prefer to use a short butter crust which worked just fine.
Bon appétit!
– David
Tarte aux Tomates
1 1/3 cups flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup ice water
Dijon mustard
6 ounces Emmentaler cheese, grated and set out to dry a bit
2 large tomato, sliced horizontally
salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence*
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon small capers
2 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place flour in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter in 16 pieces. Pulse 12 times then then sprinkle with the ice water. Pulse until the dough forms clumps, then turn out onto a floured board and pull together into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll out dough on a floured board to make a 13-inch round. Place pastry in an 11-inch tart pan and roll up the edges like a pizza. (Alternatively, use one sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled out to a 13-inch round.)
Prick bottom of pastry with a fork and coat bottom with Dijon mustard using a heavy hand. Sprinkle the grated Emmentaler over the bottom to cover.
Add sliced tomatoes – if tomatoes are juicy, pat dry with paper towel first, or let drain on paper towels. Generously salt and pepper the tomatoes and sprinkle Herbes de Provence on top. Drizzle the tart with olive oil. Sprinkle capers on top and then a layer of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake for 1 hour, or until pastry is golden. Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8.
* Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs including rosemary, savory, thyme, basil, marjoram, oregano and lavender. Each producer uses their own proportions and combinations. If you don’t have Herbes de Provence, make your own blend with what you have on hand.
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Michael Cochise
July 14, 2012 at 2:57 pmMust head for the Downtown [Phoenix] market for tomatoes; Penzey's has kindly provided the herbes de Provence. Cheese still TBD.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 14, 2012 at 3:18 pmYou know, Michael, you could get some local goat cheese and dispense with the Emmentaler – I bet it would be amazing!
john@heneedsfood
July 15, 2012 at 6:47 amI just adore French food but strangely never make it. This tart reminds me of one I ate in Paris last time I was there. I'm really looking forward to the crumble au poulet recipe as well!
Karin
July 15, 2012 at 11:12 amWonderful recipe, which I just cut and pasted into my recipe file (citing you as source mon ami!)
Liberté, égalité, fraternité….and bon appétit!!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
July 15, 2012 at 10:54 pmMy dream during HS was to have a small cafe and bookstore together. That was before this mega chain shops started to pop up everywhere. So the little place in france does sound like a jem, too bad it´s gone!
Isn´t it great how a few ingredients can turn into a luxurious tomato tart? Good call with the dough, it is a pain to make puff pastry. Hope the summer is treating you well. Have a great week David!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 16, 2012 at 12:15 amJohn – I know what you mean. I love the French cuisine but rarely make it myself. If I do, I tend to make the more rustic, country dishes over the fancy, fussy ones.
Karin – absolument! I actually considered wearing Bleu, Blanc et Rouge for dinner but ended up in my pajamas instead…
Paula – as I have mentioned to you, the cafe-bookstore-kitchen gadget combo has always been a dream, but I know it is so much work! And then super chain bookstores and Starbucks are ruining that café society for all. Domage…
Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy
July 16, 2012 at 7:04 amOh for some summer tomatoes right now…. your tart is just the sort of thing I love to eat. I am really interested in making my own Herbes de Provence now!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 16, 2012 at 8:17 amAnna – Summer tomatoes have to be one of my favorite things on earth. It is just about time for me to make a batch of my mother's tomato soup. I might have to freeze some so that when it is winter here, we can have a taste of summer!
Susan Manfull
July 17, 2012 at 9:36 pmDavid,
You inspired us to make Muriel's tart last night for two friends who are visiting from New York….so inspired that even though we are in the midst of a brutal heat wave, we put the oven on! It was a terrific hit. It is a wonderful recipe that is quite forgiving and exceedingly versatile. Your description is inviting and photos lovely. A toast to you and to Muriel and Pierre!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 18, 2012 at 2:05 amSO, Susan, the big question is: did my instructions work?? Or did you default to your own copy? :). So glad you braved the heat from the oven – it is totally worth it!
Anh
July 18, 2012 at 5:00 amsuch beautiful color on the tart! What a great way to celebrate the special day!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 18, 2012 at 1:49 pmThanks, Anh! My next attempt might be with heirloom cherry tomatoes!
Anonymous
July 19, 2012 at 3:04 pmAfter seeing this I am suddenly hungry!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2012 at 3:28 amThanks, L2D! Maybe you should give in and make a tart to eat!
Anonymous
July 31, 2012 at 10:14 amBeautiful. Love a good tart!
Cocoa and Lavender
July 31, 2012 at 1:00 pmThanks – love your blog! Although some legals tarts should be illegal! 🙂
Summer Salads, Part III – Cocoa & Lavender
May 29, 2022 at 12:32 pm[…] There are so many ways to use fresh tomatoes. I love making my mother’s Tomato Soup — there is nothing like it with a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Then there is my Tomato Saffron Cream Sauce for pasta — it is “lick your plate” good. And if you are in a Côte d’Azur mood, there is always this Provençal Tarte aux Tomates. […]