It’s snowing in Paris! Or, as Malcolm Miller, guide
extraordinaire of the Chartres Cathedral says, “We are having an endless, dreary,
cold and now snowy winter.” For a Californian, snow is exciting and skiing in
front of the Sacré Coeur even more so, but it is mid-March and a slight taste
of summer would not be unwelcome. At this point in the year, I need a boost of bright,
acidic flavors, something light and flavorful to kick my taste buds into action
- tomatoes; rosemary, thyme, mint, basil; strong Dijon mustard.
Tarte à la moutarde was first introduced to me as an easy to
throw together tart using store-bought pâte brisée or pâte feuilletée that was
slathered with mustard, covered with ham slices and baked in the oven. These
days, my preferred version of Tarte à la moutarde is made with a
butter rich parmesan and herbed flecked crust blind baked then smeared with a
generous glob of sinus opening Dijon mustard sprinkled with a scant handful of
cheese and topped with thinly sliced tomatoes, a sprinkling of herbs and a few olives.
A swooshing drizzle of olive oil and the tart is baked until the tomatoes start
to brown.
Any pie crust fears can easily be put to rest with the
addition of an egg and the use of a food processor. It’s life changing.
Serve with a platter of jambon cru or the Swiss beef version
that I always associate with Alpine ski vacations, Viande des Grisons, and a
wintry salad with a bitter bite, such as endive or cresson.
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Tarte à la
moutarde
© 2013 K-Rae
Nelson
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Use lots of mustard!
© 2013 K-Rae Nelson
|
Tarte à la Moutarde
(adapted from ‘Loch
Arthur Cheese and Tomato Tart’, Bon Appétit, May 2004)
Serves 4 generously
Makes one 12”/30cm thin-crusted tart
Ingredients
200 g/1½ cups/7 oz all
purpose flour
115 g/½ cup/4 oz chilled
unsalted butter
30 g/1/3 cup/1 oz finely
grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt (or big pinch sea salt)
1 tsp. thyme
or other dried herbs (optional)
1 egg
2 tsp. ice water
60 g/4 Tbs. whole
grain or Dijon mustard
85 -140 g/3-5 oz grated
or crumbled cheese (gruyere, goat)
6-8/1 ½ lb. tomatoes,
sliced, depending on size
To taste sea salt and freshly ground
pepper, thyme
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
6-8 olives,
to taste
Directions
(NB: If using a store-bought shell – I won’t judge, really! -
begin at step #5.)
1) Combine
flour, butter, Parmesan cheese and salt in food processor. Pulse blend until mixture resembles coarse
meal.
2) Beat
egg and 2 tsp. ice water in small bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients.
3) Process
until dough comes together in a ball.
4) Gather
dough into ball, flatten into disk. Wrap
with a long sheet of plastic wrap, or place in large ziplock bag. Chill 1 hour.
5) While
dough is chilling, slice tomatoes, place on paper towels, salt.
6) Preheat
oven to 200°C (400°F).
7) Place
dough on flat surface (still in plastic bag or covered with plastic wrap. Roll out into disk with hands, wine bottle,
or if your kitchen is particularly well-equipped, a rolling pin. Transfer to buttered tart pan with removable
bottom. Smooth bottom with fingers. Press tart shell with fork in several places.
8) Cover
tart shell with waxed paper or foil and pie weights (or beans or rice).
9) Bake
in oven for 10 minutes, turning at 5 minutes.
10) Remove
tart shell from oven. Remove foil/waxed
paper and weights.
11) Smear
about 3 Tbs. of mustard over the bottom of the tart.
12) Sprinkle
cheese over mustard – about 3-5 oz. as you wish. I prefer the emphasis to be on
the tomato rather than the cheese, but tastes vary.
13) Blot
tomatoes with paper towels to remove excess juice. Layer tomatoes on tart shell in as pretty of
a pattern as you can manage.
14) Sprinkle
with thyme, salt, pepper.
15) Drizzle
with the olive oil. Decorate with a few
olives.
16) Bake
for about 30-40 minutes in the oven, turning at mid-point until the cheese is
melted and tomatoes are soft and slightly charred.
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