Roast tomato and goat’s curd tart with a young red
This shortcrust pastry is inspired by the flaky, buttery style made at Sydney’s Bourke Street Bakery.
Back in the mists of winemaking history, before the introduction of radical new technology such as reliable glass bottles, corks and refrigeration, the vast majority of the world’s wine was drunk very soon after harvest, before it had a chance to spoil, and certainly before the next vintage rolled around. Back in more recent history – the 1970s and ’80s – we saw the rise of Beaujolais Nouveau, a marketing gimmick dreamed up to promote the red wines from that French region by selling newly fermented wines a few weeks after harvest. These days, it’s fashionable once again to drink “new” red wines. Not for pragmatic reasons, or cheap marketing reasons, but for gastronomic ones. Red wine bottled very early retains a lot of the bold, bouncy flavours of the grape, which makes it not only a lot of fun to drink but also particularly delicious paired with the vibrant food of the spring and summer seasons. The sweet acidity of the tomatoes in this dish, combined with the salty tang of the goat’s curd and the herbal green freshness of the watercress, cry out for a young, bright new red wine like the ones I’ve recommended here.
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Roast heirloom tomato and goat’s curd tart
Serves
8
Cooking Time
Prep time 45 mins, cook 2 hrs 55 mins (plus resting, chilling, cooling)
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3
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large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
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2 tbsp
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extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
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10
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thyme sprigs, plus 2 tbsp thyme leaves
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300 ml each
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milk and thickened cream
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5
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eggs
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100 gm
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goat’s curd
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600 gm
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mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
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½ cup
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(firmly packed) watercress
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1½ tbsp
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aged red wine vinegar
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¼ cup
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(loosely packed) small basil leaves
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| Shortcrust pastry |
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600 gm
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plain flour, chilled
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300 gm
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butter, chilled, cut into 1.5cm pieces
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3 tsp
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white wine vinegar, chilled
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1
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For shortcrust pastry, process flour and 1 tsp fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until just combined, then turn out onto a work surface. Combine vinegar with 170ml iced water in a bowl, sprinkle over flour mixture, then bring together with the palm of your hand, smearing the butter to combine. Pat into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (2 hours).
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2
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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 150C. Place tomato slices on an oven tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with oil, scatter with thyme sprigs, season to taste and cook until well roasted (1-2 hours). Set aside to cool.
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3
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Increase oven to 180C. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 30cm round, then line a 26cm-diameter straight-sided tart tin and refrigerate to rest (30 minutes). Blind bake until golden (15-20 minutes). Remove weights and bake until base is golden (8-10 minutes).
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4
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Layer tomato slices inside pastry. Whisk milk, cream, eggs and thyme leaves together, season to taste and pour over tomato. Dot with goat’s curd and bake until golden and cooked through (20-25 minutes). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
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5
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Combine cherry tomatoes in a bowl with watercress, vinegar, basil and oil, season to taste, toss to combine and serve with tart.
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This recipe is from the February 2012 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
WORDS Max Allen
RECIPE Alice Storey
PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem
STYLING Vanessa Austin and Alice Storey