a tale of two tarts

“What do you think about going to the sea today?” my mom asked me on the phone Saturday morning before last. She had planned to take the kids to the state fair, but it was forecasted to be 107°F , which feels like an oven when you’re milling about with hundreds of other people on cemented surfaces with nowhere to sit down. The seashore here is almost always cool, especially in summer it seems, and even if it’s warm, the salty air feels a dream compared to our dry as a bone summer air here in the valley. “I can be ready in 30 minutes” I said, and that was that. We each grabbed whatever we could scrounge out of our fridges, some towels, beach umbrella, water, the kids stumbled sleepily and grumpily through their breakfast, and we were off. It was, of course, a gloriously good day, beach days always are, in my book at least. The ocean cures all.

These last few weeks have been all about enjoying this last slice of the deliciously lazy freedom of summer before school and classes and other such things of fall begin. We have been escaping to the river, the ocean, the park, anything to be outside together. And it has been an absolute balm to be outside, in unspoiled natural places. I can’t say I don’t look forward to the earthy freshness of fall and all it brings- and of routine starting back up again, I don’t think summer would be so pleasant if it lasted forever- but there is something to be said for having no plans. Skipping town for impromptu trips, shirking the laundry and other must dos, if only for the day, and coming back home tired and dirty, sand still clinging between your toes, the kiss of the sun still warm on your skin. I love that summer produce reflects this, with easy to work with vegetables and fruits- not much is needed to make tomatoes, peppers, peaches, and the like sing- meaning that it’s easy to cook and pack lunches. Savory tarts have been my savior lately for picnics- they taste wonderful, look beautiful, and are easy to fill with anything. They are easy to transport, could even be eaten with hands if the situation calls for it, and taste perfect warm or at room temperature. Leftovers reheat wonderfully in a quick jaunt to the oven for breakfast or lunch.

For a recent concert in the park, I made a tomato tart with the beautifully fluted Costoluto Genovese tomatoes from our garden, plus the sunny colored sweet Jaune Flamme and Sun Golds. If you like tomatoes, this is everything you want in a summer dinner- the flavor concentrates in the oven, and the pastry is such a good flaky complement, both flavor and texturally. With a side of marinated peppers, zucchini and green beans (all also from our garden!) and some spicy Sicilian olives, and a glass of red wine, it was just the thing for a balmy late summer night. I repeated the tart next week, reimagined and inspired by the Provençal tian, and it was perfect with a green salad on the side. Here are all the recipes- I hope you are able to take them with you and enjoy with friends somewhere outside for summers last hurrah.

Tarte aux tomates
The tomato amount is an estimate, depending on the size you use, you may need more or less- you can make this with cherry tomatoes, too, or a mix of both. If your tomatoes are not perfectly ripe, I recommend drizzling over 1 tbsp honey before baking.

1 single crust pâte brisée (recipe follows or use your favorite single crust pie dough recipe)
a large handful of basil leaves
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
a small clove garlic
2 tbsp / 30 ml olive oil, plus more
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard
3 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
optional- 1 tbsp runny honey
for serving: a few leaves fresh basil, torn or a sprig fresh marjoram, leaves chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F /190C. Roll out the pâte brisée to 1/4 inch thickness and 12 inch diameter and line a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with it, pressing into the sides and then trimming off the excess (save and use for making a little hand pie or a tartlet). Prick it all over with a fork and set in the fridge at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pound the basil in a mortar and pestle with the coarse salt and the garlic until it forms a paste (alternatively, mince it all finely). Mix in the olive oil. After the 15 minutes, remove the tart from the fridge and spread over the tomato paste, then the mustard, then the basil oil. Layer over the tomatoes in a single layer without much overlap (if you try to pack them in, it will make it soggy). Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and the honey, if using, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Slide into the preheated oven and bake until tomatoes are glossy and a bit shriveled and crust is golden, about 45 minutes depending on oven strength. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes. Scatter over the basil leaves or marjoram leaves before serving.

Pâte brisée (shortcrust pastry)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
a big pinch sea salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes
3 tbsp chilled water

Swirl together the salt and flour in a large bowl with your hand or a spoon, just to mix. Add in the butter cubes and working quickly, pinch/smush the butter into the flour until it incorporates into the flour as a crumbly mass but still has some fairly large pieces. This is essential for a flaky crust. It should only take about 1 minute to get to this point. You can also do this in a food processor if you prefer. Sprinkle in the water while lightly mixing with your hand or a fork. Gently bring the dough together into a ball and wrap in a piece of parchment, waxed paper, foil or beeswax wrap. Press down to flatten it into a disc shape, pinching the sides back together where any cracks form (this makes it easier to roll out later). Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Lightly and evenly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour. Place the dough on top and lightly flour the top before rolling it out.

Zucchini, eggplant, tomato tart
1 recipe pâte brisée (recipe above or use your favorite single crust pie dough)
a large handful basil leaves
a small clove garlic
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 small eggplant, sliced thinly
2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
a handful cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 bay leaves, torn in half
a few sprigs fresh thyme, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C. Roll out the pâte brisée to a 1/4 inch thickness and 12 inch diameter, and line a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with it, trimming off the excess (save and use for making hand pies or a tartlet). Prick it all over with a fork and set in the fridge at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pound the basil in a mortar and pestle with the coarse salt and the garlic until it forms a paste (alternatively, mince it all finely). Mix in the olive oil. After the 15 minutes, remove the tart from the fridge and spread over the tomato paste, then the basil oil. Arrange the eggplant and zucchini slices in the dish in tightly overlapping circles. Tuck in the cherry tomato halves, garlic slices, bay leaves and thyme sprigs evenly throughout. Generously drizzle with more olive oil and a shower of salt and pepper. Slide into the preheated oven and bake until vegetables are tender and pastry is golden, about 45 minutes, more or less depending on strength of the oven.

Marinated red peppers
these are a perfect little side or starter, and you can do it with lots of veg- broiled rounds of eggplant, seared zucchini slices, shriveled roasted cherry tomatoes, or a mix- I had a rogue zucchini so I threw it in with the peppers.

8-10 small sweet red peppers (like Jimmy Nardello) or 2 large bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped
a big pinch fresh marjoram or oregano leaves
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch chile flakes or finely sliced fresh red spicy chiles, optional
salt + pepper

If using Jimmy Nardello or other small Italian frying peppers, sear them in a pan with a bit of olive oil until a bit softened and browned in spots, shaking the pan occasionally, then turn off heat and place a lid over the pan and let sit 15 minutes so peppers can steam and soften. Slice a small slit in the side by the stem to remove seeds if desired. If using large bell peppers, broil under or over a flame until charred and slightly softened, then place in a bowl and cover with a lid or plate for 15 minutes before peeling, slicing and deseeding.

Place peppers (whole if small and sliced if large) in a bowl or jar. Whisk remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the warm peppers. Place a lid or plate over it and let sit at least 1 hour before eating so flavors can mingle.

Green beans in mustardy vinaigrette

1 lb / 450 g green beans
2 tsp whole grain or dijon mustard
a clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp / 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
a big pinch fresh marjoram leaves, minced
salt + pepper
optional, thinly sliced red onion

Steam, boil, or sauté green beans until tender. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl. Drain green beans and add to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to combine.