By Faith Bahadurian Special Writer
These are the glory days for Jersey tomatoes, as we revel in the variety of flavors, colors, shapes and textures to be found in local markets.
During my gardening years, I’ve stood in my own patch with a salt shaker, juice dripping down my arm, a habit I inherited from my father. But once inside, I do like some fresh mozzarella or tangy feta with my tomatoes, and of course, the best extra-virgin olive oil I can find. When using mozzarella, I like to add some sliced basil; with feta, crumbled dry Greek oregano. Vinegar optional in both cases. To finish — the crunch of flaky Maldon Sea Salt or grainy Fleur de Sel.
Gazpacho occupied much of my tomato time last summer, but sometimes I get restless and want to cook with tomatoes, and when I do, my thoughts usually turn to various tart and gratin preparations, with strong visual appeal.
As soon as you put tomatoes on a crust, you have to be concerned with sogginess. Tomatoes are full of liquid, and while you can drain some out with salt and paper towels before baking, more liquid will magically appear once they’re in the oven or have sat for a while. So be sure to slice the tomatoes (and zucchini in the case of one recipe below) very thinly, which creates more surface area to facilitate evaporation during baking.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO TART
IN A PARMESAN CRUST
adapted from www.101 cookbook s.com
One 9- or 10-inch tart or five 4-1/ 2-inch tarts.
Note: The tomatoes in this recipe are not cooked, but be sure to drain them carefully, as they will still throw off quite a bit of liquid.
6 perfect, colorful, medium- sized heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/6-inch thick (i.e. very thin)
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup unsalted organic butter, well chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4-ounce chunk of good fresh Parmesan, microplane-grated (2 cups). Save any leftover grated cheese for sprinkling on the crusts when they come out of the oven.
2 tablespoons ice-cold water
2 tablespoons best quality extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup slivered basil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lay the tomato slices on paper towels to drain them of some of their liquid. Sprinkle with salt, cover with another layer of paper towel, and let them sit there while you make the crust.
Place both flours, butter and Parmesan in a food processor and pulse quickly about 25 times, until you have pea-size clumps. With a couple more pulses, blend in the ice water. The dough should stick together when you pinch it between two fingers. Put the dough into the tart pan. Working quickly, press dough uniformly into pan(s) by pressing across the bottom and working towards the sides and up to form a rim. Place in refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.
Pull the tart out of the refrigerator and poke each a few times with the tongs of a fork. Cover the tart with a square of aluminum foil and fill generously with pie weights or dried beans. Place on a baking sheet and slide the tart onto the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, pull the shell out of the oven and very gently peel back and remove the tinfoil and pie weights.
Place the uncovered tart back in the oven and allow to cook for another 10 minutes, or until it is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little shredded Parmesan to act as a barrier to the tomato liquid). Let cool to room temperature before filling.
Just before serving, arrange tomato slices in a concentric pattern inside the tart shell. Drizzle with your best quality extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with the basil. Serve at room temperature.
FILO TOMATO TART
adapted from www.myrecipes.com (Sunset Magazine)
7 sheets filo dough, thawed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup very thinly sliced onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/ 8-inch thick slices (no thicker or crust will be soggy)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray paper with cooking-oil spray or brush lightly with oil. Lay one sheet filo on paper and brush lightly with a little melted butter. Sprinkle all over with one tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat layering five more times, pressing each sheet firmly so it sticks to sheet below. Lay the last filo sheet on top, brush with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle on remaining one tablespoon Parmesan.
Scatter onion across filo, top with mozzarella, and arrange tomato slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
Bake until filo is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then serve.
GRATIN DE COURGETTES ET TOMATES
(Tomato and Zucchini Gratin )
from “Bistro Cooking,” Patricia Wells,
Workman, 1989
4 servings
Note: While there is no crust to get soggy here, it is still important to slice the vegetables thinly so they’ll cook quickly, and maybe even develop a bit of crispness around the edges.
1 garlic clove, halved
1 pound zucchini (about 2 medium), ends trimmed, thinly sliced
8 small, firm tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rub bottom of a large oval porcelain gratin dish (about 14x9x2 inches) with the garlic. Alternating slices of zucchini and tomato, arrange the vegetables in a single layer over the bottom. Sprinkle with the thyme and oil.
Bake, uncovered, until meltingly soft, about 20 minutes. If serving as a side dish, place under broiler just until lightly browned. If serving as a main course, sprinkle with the Parmesan and broil until the cheese is bubbly and browned. Serve immediately.
For a bonus recipe — Tomato, Olive and Anchovy Tart (Pissaladière) — visit Faith Bahadurian’s blog at www.packetinsider.com/ blog/njspice/.

