Make Ahead

Heirloom tomato tart tatin with anchovy breadcrumbs

July 30, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

As much as I love a perfectly ripe tomato, baking does something magical to them. After having many a delicious tomato tart, I thought, why not a tomato tart tatin? I keep the ingredient inside the tart simple to let the tomatoes sing. But, then to provide a contrasting texture and burst of flavor, I like to top the tart with a mixture of breadcrumbs and herbs. It's like the savory equivalent of an oat crumble topping! —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled out
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 medium leeks, washed and thinly sliced (white and light green portions only)
  • 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 pints mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  2. Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat, and cook the leeks until the are caramelized, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside.
  3. In a 9 or 10 inch oven-proof skillet heat the Balsamic vinegar, 1/2 Tbs. olive oil, and sugar over medium until the liquid starts to bubble. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, gently stirring to coat the tomatoes. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Carefully spread the caramelized leeks over the tomatoes.
  5. Cut the rolled out puff pastry dough into a circle slightly larger than the pan with the tomatoes (about a 10 inch circle). Spread the mustard on the dough, then carefully lay the pastry, mustard side down, on top of the tomatoes and leeks, tucking the edges down along the sides of the pan.
  6. Make several 1 inch slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape, then place the pan in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden and puffed, about 30 minutes.
  7. While the tart bakes, make the anchovy breadcrumbs. Smash the anchovy fillets with ½ Tbs. of the olive oil. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium, then add the garlic clove, smashed anchovies, and finally the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are golden and toasted, about 5 minutes. Scrape out of the pan into a dish and allow to cool, remove the garlic, then stir in the chopped herbs.
  8. When the tart is baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool 5-10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge to loosen it. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet, and holding them tightly, invert them so that the skillet is on top and the tart releases onto the serving plate.
  9. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs generously over the tart, slice and serve accompanied by a simple green salad. Taking a cue from apple tart tatin, a little crème fraiche on the side is also a nice accompaniment.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • cucinettaNYC
    cucinettaNYC
  • fiveandspice
    fiveandspice
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames

4 Reviews

Sagegreen August 6, 2010
The anchovy is a great secret ingredient!
 
cucinettaNYC July 31, 2010
Glad to find another fan of the anchovy! Great salty addition to homemade toasted breadcrumbs. Making pasta con sarde tonight and usually top with toasted breadcrumbs...thanks to you, it will be anchovy breadcrumbs instead! Sound fantastic on tomatoes!
 
fiveandspice July 31, 2010
The anchovy breadcrumbs are awesome! I add them to all sorts of things, pasta and soups especially.
 
AntoniaJames July 30, 2010
Sounds delicious! I can imagine those anchovy breadcrumbs coming in handy for quite a variety of uses. ;o)