Description
This make-ahead, vegetarian Tomato Tart using sweet, juicy tomatoes, fresh chives and tangy cheese is the perfect choice for a summer lunch or picnic.
Ingredients
Scale
For the pastry:
- 275 g (10 oz) plain flour
- 125 g (4 oz) fat (I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
- Salt
- A little water
For the filling:
- 150 ml (5 fluid oz) double cream
- 4 eggs
- 150 g (5 oz) strong cheddar cheese (grated)
- Salt and pepper
- A large bunch of fresh chives (around 15 stems)
- 6–7 assorted tomatoes – I use various sizes and colours as I think it looks nice!
Instructions
- Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
- Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl. Add the fat and combine – either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
- Roll out your pastry and use it to line your quiche or flan dish. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven to allow the pastry to “set”. This will stop the filling making it soggy.
- Remove the skins from your tomatoes. I find the easiest way to do this is to immersing them in boiling water for around 1 minute and then immersing in cold water to cool them down (so that they are not too hot to handle and do not continue to “cook”). The skins should then be easy to peel off the tomatoes.
- When you have skinned the tomatoes, slice them into thin discs.
- Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the cream, and beat until combined. Finely grate the cheddar cheese and add to the mixture.
- Chop your fresh chives and add them to the egg, cream and cheese mixture and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into your pastry case.
- Place the tomato discs on top of the mixture in the pastry case.
- Place your quiche or flan dish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
- The tart can be eaten hot, room temperature or cold.
