The New York-based chef Yann Nury, 40, realizes that, these days, tomatoes are almost seasonless. “You could have them year-round now that they’re growing great ones in greenhouses,” he says. Still, he insists, there’s nothing that compares to the bright, tangy-sweet taste of the fruit at its peak. His favorite way to enjoy it: “Wait until July or August,” he says, “then make a tomato tart and have it eight times in two months.”
Nury’s version of the dish — cherry tomatoes nestled tightly in an olive-oil-based crust — was inspired, in part, by the one his mother made when he was growing up in the Ardèche region of southeast France. “It was a quick thing with store-bought puff pastry,” he says. “But it had mustard in it, which I really loved.” To mimic what he calls the “intensity and savoriness” of his childhood favorite, he adds a tablespoon of Dijon to a purée of roasted tomatoes, which he layers over the dough before topping it with fresh cherry tomatoes. This coulis can be cooked a day in advance, he says, and the recipe “will make enough for you to have a little bowl to serve alongside the tart.” (It’s also delicious spread on bread or mixed into pasta pomodoro.) For the crust, Nury uses olive oil — which makes for a supple dough with a vegetal richness — because he finds the traditional butter too sweet in combination with the almost sugary tomatoes. To get the abundant look of his tart, “really press the tomatoes into the pastry and into one another, so they fill the tart case even when they cook and shrink,” he says. The finished product is best served warm alongside “crisp lettuces dressed in a light vinaigrette, grilled meat and a chilled red wine or a really good rosé,” he advises. Eat outside if at all possible.
Yann Nury’s Cherry Tomato Tart
Makes one 12-inch tart
Ingredients
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3 pounds cherry tomatoes
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1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
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1 red onion
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Dried oregano to taste
For the crust
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350 grams all-purpose flour
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100 grams warm water
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100 grams olive oil
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12 grams dry instant yeast (or 24 grams fresh yeast)
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10 grams salt
1. Lightly brush a 12-inch round metal tart pan with olive oil.
2. Make the dough: Mix the warm water, olive oil and yeast in a small bowl until completely incorporated. Combine the salt and flour in a medium bowl. Add the liquid to the flour mixture, first mixing with a fork or wooden spoon and then kneading by hand until smooth.
3. Place the dough in the oiled pan and spread it evenly with your fingers to the edge of the pan. Cover with a towel and let sit for one hour.
4. Make the coulis: Slice the onion and toss it with a half pound of the cherry tomatoes and enough olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with a bit of dried oregano and roast on a sheet pan at 450 degrees until the tomatoes are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, then, using a blender, purée with 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard until smooth. Taste and adjust salt.
5. Slice the remaining tomatoes into halves. Spread a thin layer of the tomato mustard coulis onto the dough, adding an additional pinch of oregano to taste. Arrange the halved tomatoes atop the dough, packing them as tightly as possible. Drizzle with olive and sprinkle with sea salt.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes are slightly charred. Serve warm, as is or finished with a bit of lemon zest, a few torn basil leaves, some shaved Parmesan and a sprinkle of capers or your favorite caviar.
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