Tomato and Almond Tart | Ottolenghi

This is a savory version of the popular French fruit and frangipane tart. I wouldn’t have thought about the combination of tomato, almond paste and puff pastry. Going through the pages in Plenty More, Yotam Ottolenghi has this unique recipe of a tomato and almond tart. The idea is that the almond paste soaks up the juices from the tomatoes, creating a crispy bottom and a rich layer of nutty sweetness. Everything comes together so lusciously. I wish I can serve it to company.

In the lockdown season, I’ve uncovered food wholesalers who start making home deliveries as most restaurants are closed. It’s a win-win situation. Win for the wholesalers who get cash payments from consumers upon delivery instead of extending credits to restaurants for future payments when they come due. It’s a win for consumers. Now, we have access to restaurant-quality produce at wholesale prices.

To make a long story short, I’ve purchased a whole box of puff pastry at about half the unit price I usually pay. Making savory tarts takes me beyond the conventional dessert tarts or gratins. I’m so psyched about the twin discoveries: wholesale puff pastry and the use of it in savory applications. I’m on a lookout for similar savory tart recipes. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Building the tart is like making a pizza pie. It gets more simple if you don’t have to make your own dough. Start by making the savory almond paste which has a few more ingredients than the classic frangipane. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients in this order: butter, eggs, bread crumbs, ground almonds, garlic, ricotta, grated parmesan and thyme leaves. Roll out the pastry and top it with almond paste, slices of tomato and anchovy.

Here comes the tricky part of the operation. It’s important to preheat the baking sheet in the oven to ensure the bottom of the pastry is as crisp as the top. My bulletproof step: deploy a pizza stone and preheat it at a sizzling 475°F for an hour. It works; the bottom turns out as crispy and stiff as that of a pizza pie. See, you can hold up a slice of tart and eat it with your hand. Mission accomplished!

Print Recipe

Tomato and Almond Tart

Serves: 2 tarts serving 6-8

Ingredients

• 140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs (each 60g net weight), beaten
• 65g fresh breadcrumbs
• 80g ground almonds
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 15g picked thyme leaves
• 100g ricotta (I used yogurt)
• 20g parmesan, finely grated
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 320g puff pastry (homemade or shop-bought)
• Sunflower oil, for greasing
• 7-10 medium tomatoes, cut into 3/8-inch or 1cm-thick slices
• 12 anchovies in oil, roughly torn (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 475°F. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and aerated. With the machine running on medium speed, slowly incorporate the eggs. If the mix splits, add some breadcrumbs to bring it back together, then carry on adding the remaining eggs. Stop the machine, and work in the breadcrumbs, almonds and garlic just until everything is combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using your hands, gently fold in half the thyme, the ricotta, parmesan and half a teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.

2

Roll the pastry into two 8x12 inch / 20cm x 30cm rectangular sheets about 1/8-inch thick. Grease two baking trays with a little sunflower oil and lay the pastry rectangles on top. Spread the almond mixture evenly over the pastries with a palette knife, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge. Lay the tomato slices on top of each sheet in three long rows, with a fair amount of overlap between the rows (tomatoes shrink a fair bit when exposed to heat). Sprinkle over the anchovies, if using, and remaining thyme. Drizzle the tomatoes with half the olive oil and season with some sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper.

3

Bake the tarts for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 400°F and resume cooking for another 10 minutes, until the base is nice and brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly, then dribble over the remaining olive oil and serve.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/10/tomato-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi