Tomato Tarte Tatin

One of the things I love about living part time in Provence is the markets in my village and those close by. The sunny Provençal climate makes it ideal for growing olives, grapes, vegetables, fruit and grain. Provençal cuisine is delicious, healthful, easy to make (usually), and made with simple, locally available and affordable ingredients – just like Epicure!!

When in Provence, I seldom eat at restaurants (I tend to eat out so much when on the road); however I do make an exception for a few Malaucene restaurants depending on their menus. And if I see ‘tatin de tomates cerises au balsamique’ à La Chevalerie restaurant, a reservation is a must. I love Chef Philippe Galas’ simple tomato tart he serves as an appetizer.

It was only a matter of time before I re-created (and Epicurized) this dish in my home kitchen. This deliciously sweet and savoury dish is based on the upside-down tarte Tatin, traditionally made with apple and is said to have been created after a mistake by the Tatin sisters who dropped the dish when making it…or so the story goes.

Based on my experience, I have found that Epicure’s 10” Eclipse© Coated Frying Pan is the perfect tatin pan. All the steps can be done in the same pan!

To create my version of tomato tarte tatin, I tried two methods:

1. I kept the first one very close to the traditional tatin recipe. I caramelized the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar (in my Eclipse© Coated Frying Pan) on the stove for 15 minutes before covering them with puff pastry and baking in the oven. This resulted in a deep, dark, delicious red tarte tatin.

2. I also decided to do as Chef Galas does, by making a quick balsamic reduction in my pan, placing the cherry tomatoes on it and covering them right away, letting the caramelizing of the tomatoes happen while baking with puff pastry; they went directly in the oven.

The verdict around my table was almost equally divided with a small preference for the second method. It is also the one I favoured, being faster and very easy to make. If you try both, I would love your comments!

Tomato Tarte Tatin
Makes: 6 servings

You will need:

1 roll of puff pastry (you can make your own if you wish)
500 g ripe cherry tomatoes
½ cup (125 ml) Epicure’s Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) of your favourite Epicure Mediterranean seasoning (Pesto Herb Mix, Bruschetta Herbs, and Sun-dried Tomato or Provencal Herbs also work well)
Epicure’s Sea Salt & freshly ground Epicure’s Black Pepper

Please note: if you use Epicure’s Provençal Herbs or Sun-dried Tomato Dip Mix, you will want to add some onion, either fresh or 2 Tbsp of Epicure’s 3 Onion Dip Mix.

Get creative by sprinkling goat cheese over the tomatoes before covering with the pastry. Olives and crumbled feta would also be lovely (using Epicure’s Greek Seasoning and 3 Onion Dip Mix). This dish could also be served with parmesan shavings or freshly grated!

Bon appétit!