–TART–
A bit of All-purpose Flour
1/2 lb Frozen Puff Pastry; thawed
2 lb Ripe Tomatoes; cored,
-peeled, seeded, and finely
-chopped
1 lg Lemon ; Juice of
2 Shallots or Green Onions;
-(Mild), minced
2 Cloves Garlic; minced
1/2 ts Fresh Parsley; minced
1/2 ts Fresh Basil; minced
1/2 ts Fresh Thyme; minced
Salt and Freshly Ground
-Black Pepper to Taste
-LIME BUTTER-
1 lg Lime ; Juice of
8 tb (1/4 pound) Unsalted Butter;
-cut into single tablespoon
-portions
2 tb Heavy Cream
Salt and Freshly Ground
-Black Pepper to Taste
2 tb Olive Oil
1/2 c Ripe Tomatoes; peeled,
-seeded, and diced for
-garnish
-SPECIAL EQUIPMENT-
Six 4-inch Tartlet Pans
Dried Beans or Rice for use
-as Pastry Weights
Preheat oven to 400-F degrees and set up the mise-en-place. (Mise-en-place
defined: French cookery technique whereby you arrange each ingredient in
the prepared portion and sequence you’ll require it to prepare your recipe.
Also known as an invaluable timesaver.)
Sprinkle a bit of flour on a clean surface and roll out the pastry dough to
an approximately 10 by 15-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut the
pastry into six equal-sized squares, each about 5 inches on a side. Gently
place each square into a 4-inch tartlet pan and trim any excess dough from
the edges.
With a fork, prick the bottom of the pastry all over its surface. Line the
pastry shells with foil cut to size and spread dried beans or rice over the
foil. (If you don’t weight the pastry, you’ll end up with uneven puffing
during baking, which makes for an ugly, unbalanced tart.)
Set the tartlet pans on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or
until the pastry is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to
cool. Remove the foil and weights, then carefully remove the delicate baked
pastry shells from the tartlet pans. Set them on a wire rack to cool
completely. (Don’t turn off the oven, though; you’re not finished yet!)
While the shells are baking, place the chopped tomatoes in a colander and
let drain for at least 15 minutes. Pat the diced tomatoes dry with paper
towels. (It’s important to remove as much water as possible, otherwise your
tarts will be soggy. You will want to blot the tomatoes during baking,
also: Work quickly as you remove the excess water with a triple-folded
paper towel.)
In a large glass mixing bowl, combine the drained tomatoes with the lemon
juice, shallots or green onions, garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and
pepper. Gently stir in the olive oil.
Place your baking sheet to the oven for about five minutes to warm. Remove
the hot sheet from the oven and place the cooled pastry shells on it. Spoon
about 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture into each shell. Make sure not to
overfill the pastry shells. Bake for about 15 minutes, blotting excess
water at least once. Sprinkle with a splash of black pepper and let cool
for about five minutes prior to serving.
Meanwhile, prepare the lime butter in a small saucepan: Mix the lime juice
with an equal amount of water (no more than 1/3 cup). Bring the mixture to
a boil over high heat, and boil for about 3 minutes or until it’s reduced
by half. Whisk in the butter, a
continued in part 2
Yields
6 servings