Tomato Tart Squares

It seemed like my tomatoes would never turn red. Now they all are! Of course, they're wonderful in sandwiches, soups, salads and pasta; but there's nothing quite like a tomato tart. This is one I cut into 2-inch squares for hors d'oeuvre. 

Someday there will be parties again, and these tomato tart squares will be the first hors d'oeuvre I trot out. Of course, I'll probably take the time to pretty them up with a bit of basil chiffonade, but I had no fresh basil on hand so we "made-do" without garnish.

I used a simple all-butter pie dough that comes together quickly, but you could also use puff pastry as I do for my Tomato Tart. No garden tomatoes? Time in the oven makes even bland store-bought tomatoes taste good, as the flavor is condensed.

Just having a little fun making watercolor sketches of
 things from the garden. I don't know what I'm going to
do with all these tomatoes, but you'll be hearing about it!

To ensure a crisp crust, I give the tomato slices a bit of a roast beforehand to take out some of the moisture as well as intensify the flavor. And I use the tiniest bit of shallot and no garlic so that nothing overshadows the bright and deep tomato flavor.

Allow the tomatoes to shine. Don't let the simple, pantry-staples ingredient list fool you into thinking you need to add something else or more of something. This is a very tasty little hors d'oeuvre or teatime savory.

What do you do with a bumper crop of tomatoes? 

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Tomato Tart Squares

(Makes one 12x8-inch tart, 24 2-inch squares)

The Pastry

1 dip-and-sweep cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces/71 grams) cold unsalted butter, coarsely shredded3 tablespoons (1.5 fluid ounces/44 ml) ice water plus 1 tablespoon, only if needed

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

The Tomatoes

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided
About 3/4 pound (12 ounces/340 grams) tomatoes
1/16 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
3 tablespoons 0.75 ounce/21 grams) finely grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup (1 ounce/28 grams) finely shredded mozzarella

1 Preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas8. Line a 13x9x1-inch quarter sheet pan with baking parchment paper and brush it with a teaspoon of the olive oil. 

2 In 1.5- to 2-quart mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a coarse grater, shred the butter into the bowl. With your fingers lightly toss and coat the cold shredded butter with the flour, working it gently, leaving lots of big pieces. Combine the 3 tablespoons water with the apple cider vinegar and sprinkle over the flour mixture. With large fork, stir to form a dough that will clump together. Only if necessary, sprinkle on a bit more water. Wrap the dough in a square of plastic wrap and flatten it slightly into a 5x3-inch rectangle; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you proceed with recipe.

3 Slice tomatoes somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch (5 to 6 mm) thick. Place them on the prepared quarter sheet pan; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool a bit while you proceed with the recipe. 

4 Preheat oven to 400F/20C/Gas6. In small pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and sauté shallot; cool. Measure Parmesan and mozzarella.

5 On lightly floured 12x8-inch piece of baking parchment paper, roll out chilled dough. This recipe makes just enough dough to roll out to that size with no waste. Place the pastry on its parchment paper onto quarter sheet pan or other baking sheet.

6 Spread shallot and oil over pastry. Sprinkle Parmesan over pastry. Place cooled roasted tomato slices over pastry. Sprinkle with dried basil and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Scatter shredded mozzarella over top, not completely hiding the tomatoes.

7 Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crust is crisp and golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before *cutting and serving. Cut into 24 2-inch squares for an hors d'oeuvre or afternoon tea savory. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* The OXO Good Grips Pizza Wheel for Non-Stick Pans is perfect for this!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Crispy-Skinned Fluffy Baked Potatoes - Jacket Potatoes

Baked potatoes (in the UK, jacket potatoes) are simply wonderful when done well and horrid if done wrong. There are all sorts of methods to achieving the "perfect" baked potato, some of which do not result in my idea of the perfect potato but might make your perfect potato.

First, you must select the proper baking potato, which is a starchy, floury (rather than waxy) potato. In the US, that means the russet potato (I always buy organic). In the UK, try Maris Piper, King Edward, or Estima. Wherever you are, you need a proper baking potato.

If you don't like eating the potato skin, it might not be important to you to achieve a crisp skin. But we enjoy a delicious crisp, slightly salty potato skin, without a leathery bottom, so this particular method works for us.

Couldn't resist doing a quick little watercolor sketch, since I've never
painted a potato, baked or otherwise, in my life!

The brining step is something I picked up when I was flipping through YouTube one day and happened onto the channel of Kent Rollins, a charming chuck wagon cook in Oklahoma. He was baking some really big potatoes, so made more brine than this. Brining is the only thing I did differently than usual, and it makes a difference.

Since we're not hardworking cowboys here, I consider the 7-ounce potatoes I used to be the perfect size baked potato. But if you like to use larger potatoes, you'll need to extend the initial baking time. 

But I hate serving people a huge potato they might not be able to finish. Scraping wasted food into the bin hurts my heart, so I'd rather leave 'em wanting more! Hey, dessert's still coming, they're going to be happy!

And someday, when we can have people over again, I think a baked potato bar would be fun, with a selection of toppings to suit everyone's taste: sour cream, shredded cheese, nacho cheese sauce, caramelized onions, snipped chives, green onions, fresh herbs, chili. What's your favorite topping? 

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Crispy-Skinned Fluffy Baked Potatoes

(Makes 4, can be doubled)

The Potatoes

4 medium (6- to 8-ounce/170 to 227 grams) russet potatoes (outside US, choose another starchy, floury potato meant for baking)

The Brine

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) water
2 tablespoons salt

The Finish

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 With oven rack in middle of oven, preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas8. Line a 13x9x1-inch quarter sheet pan with foil. Place a wire rack over the pan and rub a bit of oil on the rack.

Note: You might have a wire cooling rack that fits inside a quarter sheet pan, but I don't; mine just fits over it. If I were baking 8 medium potatoes, I'd use my 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan which does have a wire rack that fits down in it.

2 Scrub the potatoes very well since you will want to eat the lovely crispy potato skin. Prick them all over with a fork. I always do 8 on this size potato, 3 on top, 3 on bottom and 1 on each side. In a bowl large enough to hold a potato, stir together the water and salt. Dip each potato in the brine, rolling it around to coat all surfaces. Place on the rack.

3 Bake for 45 minutes, at which point the potatoes should be done (though we're not going to stop there). Check one of the potatoes for doneness by your favorite method. An instant-read thermometer (Thermapen or ThermoPop) inserted in the center should register 205 to 210F/96 to 99C. If you use the same type, shape and size potato every time, you'll find the perfect timing for your oven.

4 Remove from oven. Brush tops and sides with the olive oil (or bacon grease, duck fat, goose fat, etc). Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes. As soon as you take them out of the oven after the second bake, slit the tops and give the ends a bit of a squeeze. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean