Another Swell Pie--Tomato/Mozzarella

Unknown

I tried this last night on the Small; I put two pizza stones on top of the BGE ceramic baking dish as a base for the tart pan. Next time I'll add a sprinkling of seasoned bread crumbs between the cheese and tomatoes to soak up some of the juice. Other than being a bit messy, this was EGGcellent! Oh, yeah--it took mine about 50 minutes, not the 35-40. That crust was just fabulous. Sorry I don't know the source or I'd give credit.[p]

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[p]Fresh Tomato Tart with Basil-Garlic Crust (Serves 4 to 6)[p]This tart is simple and delicious, with a brilliant green shell. [p] 1 recipe Basil and Garlic Tart Dough (below)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced
2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and cut crosswise into thin slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil [p]Prepare the dough as instructed below and fit it into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.[p]Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of the tart shell with the slices of cheese. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in a ring around the edge of the tart and a second ring in the center, slightly overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with the oil.[p]Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has started to brown in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes before
slicing. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.[p]Basil and Garlic Tart Dough[p] 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 medium clove garlic
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8 to 10 pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice water [p]It's easiest to use a food processor to prepare the crust, but a pastry blender or your fingers will work equally well. [p]Place the basil and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until finely chopped.
Add the flour and salt and pulse several times to combine.[p]Place the butter in the work bowl. Pulse about 10 times, or until the mixture resembles pea-size crumbs.[p]Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition. After 4 tablespoons water have been added, process the dough for several seconds to see if it is coming together into a ball. If not, add the remaining 1 tablespoon water. Once the dough seems to be coming together, continue processing until it comes together into a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor.[p]Flatten the dough into a 5-inch disk. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.[p]Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Follow tart recipe above.[p]

Chrispy Bob

Gretl Collins, Sounds great!!! Have a question- do you think that you could just roll th dough out, crimp the edge to raise slightly and then add the toppings and cook? [p]CB

Charbon

Gretl Collins,
Sounds good but I don't know what a tart pan is? Is the dough like a pizza dough? Maybe could fold over like a calzone and bake on flat stone? Sorry for all the questions but I'm hungry

Unknown

Chrispy Bob,
I think that because of the high butter content, the edges might collapse. Also, there was so much liquid given off, I think that I'll "drain" the tomatoes next time. Skipping the tart pan and just using the raised edges of the dough might work for a drier filling. In any case, the basil/garlic flavor is just divine.
Cheers,
G.

Chrispy Bob

Gretl Collins, Thanks - I am going to give it a try. Think I will try Italian plum tomatoes...they have less water also perhaps a little salt and drain on paper towels as you suggest.[p]Bob

Unknown

Chrispy Bob,
Plum tomatoes would be perfect. Alas, we don't have good ones here--yet. Also, Ken Stone suggested blind-baking the crust for 10 minutes at 400F before adding the fillings. I think this is worth pursuing, too. I'm going to bake another pie on Sunday trying these little adjustments.
Happy Egging!
Cheers,
Gretl

Joder

Gretl Collins,
Wow! Does that sound good.
Thanks for the recipe.