Tomato tart Tatin

This tart is cooked upside down, like the famous apple tarte Tatin. It's a great recipe for warm summer days. You can even take it out on a picnic.

You can eat warm or cold with a green leaves salad (and vinaigrette dressing).

For a 10" tart (6 slices):

• 6 ripe tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• gruyère or emmentaler cheese
• 1 pâte brisée pie shell (see previous post)
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (or Dijon mustard)
• a few fresh basil leaves.

1. Preheat the oven to 380F.
2. Remove the green heart of the tomatoes. Cut them in halves crosswise (perpendicularily to the stem). Place them face up (bumpy side down) in a round pie pan. Don't hesitate to squeeze in the tomatoes as they will shrink while cooking. Add as many tomatoes as needed to fill up the entire pan. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and olive oil.
3. Place in the warm oven and allow to cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until the tomato juice flows in the pan and the tomatoes get a little mushy.
4. In the meantime roll out the dough. Spread the whole grain mustard evenly.
5. When the tomatoes are cooked, remove the juice from the pan and throw it away. Shred the cheese and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes. Then flip the pie shell over the tomatoes, mustard side on the cheese. Insert the sides of the pie shell in the pan. Make a small hole (the size of a dime) in the center of the dough to let the heat and steam get out while cooking.
6. Bake at 380F for 30 minutes.
7. Fresh out of the oven, flip the tart on the serving dish and sprinkle with coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves.

Alternative:

This recipe is great in the regular order ("upside up") too. It's quicker to prepare because you don't need to cook the tomatoes first. Here's how to proceed with the same ingredients:

1. Remove the green heart of the tomatoes and slice them crosswise with a sharp knife (about 1/4" slices). Place them in a plate. Sprinke salt, pepper and olive oil and let them marinate. You could add some dry herbs at this point (oregano, thyme or herbes de Provence for instance).
2. Roll out the dough and line up the pan (use baking paper or butter). Punch a few holes with a fork so that the crust doesn't "baloon" while baking. Spread whole grain mustard on the pie shell. Shred gruyère cheese and sprinkle it over the mustard.
3. Arrange the tomato slices in circles on the pie shell, trying to drain as much juice as possible before placing them in the pan.
4. Bake at 380F for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Out of the oven, sprinkle coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves and serve warm or cold with a green leaves salad.

Happy Bastille Day!