Winter tomato, Chevre and Hazelnut Tart

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  • 6

Ingredients

  • PASTRY
  • 1/2 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp ice water
  • FILLING
  • 1 lb (455g) cocktail size or Campari tomatoes, quartered through the stem end
  • 1 pint (approximately 300g) cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem end
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp chopped thyme
  • 2 tsp chopped garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 5 oz (140g) goat cheese log at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • Microgreens for garnish (optional) I used been sprouts.

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425.

Place hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are mostly ground. Add flour,salt and sugar to food processor and pulse until hazelnuts are very finely ground. Add butter, and pulse for about 10 seconds or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle vinegar and 1 Tbsp ice water over mixture and pulse until it just begins to hold together, adding remaining 1 Tbsp ice water as needed to make a dough that forms a ball without being sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

While pastry is chilling, gently combine Campari and grape tomatoes with olive oil, thyme and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Pour out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and turn tomatoes so that they are skin-side down. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tomatoes have shrivelled but are still very juicy and the liquid around them has just begun to caramelize. Remove from oven and reserve. Refrigerate if making a day ahead.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a circle about 13 inches in diameter. Fit pastry into a 10 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and put pan into the freezer for 15 minutes or until it is solidly frozen.

Heat oven to 350. Put frozen tart shell in pan on a baking sheet. Line with a lightly buttered sheet of foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry has set. Remove weights and foil and bake for 15 minutes longer or until pastry is lightly browned all over and cooked through.

Let pastry cool slightly (if made a day ahead, rewarm slightly in the oven), then crumble in the goat cheese. Use an offset spatula to carefully spread goat cheese (pastry is fragile). Sprinkle with Parmesan. Use a rubber spatula to transfer tomatoes evenly onto tart. Sprinkle with microgreens if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.