I post this recipe from time to time as Suzi and I work to refine it. We think it now just about perfect. There is a fabulous Pierre Roux crust and semi-confit cherry tomatoes. The links to posts for crust and tomatoes are included below.
Between that crust and those tomatoes, there is a filling of mustard-scented rice. The contrasts in flavors and textures is quite delightful. You can serve this tart year round. And we do.
Semi-Confit Cherry Tomato Tart
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
- 9 ounces pate brisée, the recipe is here
- 4 tablespoons white rice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoons strong Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, lightly whipped
- 18 ounces semi-confit cherry tomatoes, the recipes is here
- 6 basil leaves, snipped.
Preparation:
Roll out the dough to a circle, 1/8 inch thick and use to line an 8-inch diameter, 1 ¼ inch deep tart ring. Chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. Prick the base of the pastry shell. Bake the shell blind for 40 minutes, or until fully cooked. [Note: to blind bake, cover the pastry top with wax or parchment paper. Fill the shell a full layer of beans, covering every square inch of the pastry.] For the last 15 minutes of baking, remove the parchment paper and beans and lower the oven temperature to 340⁰F.
Lift off the tart ring, transfer the pastry shell to a wire rack, and let cool.
In the meantime, cook the rice in boiling salted water for 18 minutes. Refresh under cold running water and drain thoroughly. Tip the cooked rice into a bowl and mix with the mustard and then the whipped cream. Season and spread the rice mixture in the pastry shell. Arrange the tomatoes on the rice, placed shoe still with stalks in the center.
Sprinkle on the snipped basis and serve at room temperature. When serving, offer some French sea salt and crushed pepper on the table to sprinkle on the tart.
The tart is best eaten at room temperature. You can make a day ahead, and then allow to warm up. The filling is mellower on Day 2.
Source: Pastry by Michel Roux [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (January 28, 2009)]
Photo Information [Top]: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4.5 for 1/50th second at ISO‑3200
Photo Information [Bottom]: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/30th second at ISO‑1250