Roasted Roma Tomato Tarte

Tarte Shell

• Cut the chilled butter and Crisco into ¼" cubes.

• Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a mixer or with the back of a fork until crumbly. (Do not over work the dough.  Mix it just enough to incorporate the butter and Crisco into the flour.)

• Gradually add the water and mix only until the water has been absorbed. (IMPORTANT:  Do not over mix at this stage.  If you do, the gluten in the flour will become elastic and your tarte shell will be about the same texture as cardboard.)

• Form the dough into a round flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the dough rest.

• Preheat oven to 425°.

• Roll out 2/3 of the dough for a 12" tarte and fit it into a French-style tarte ring ( i.e.with a fluted straight sides and a removable bottom).    (Keep the remainder for another tarte.  This dough freezes very well and can be used by simply  defrosting and rolling out.)

• Gently mold a sheet of aluminum foil over the unbaked shell, easing the foil onto the bottom and up the sides of the entire shell.  Fill the unbaked, foil-covered tarte shell with heavy beans or marbles.  (This keeps the sides upright until they are baked enough to stand up on their own.)

• Bake the shell in this way for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil (with weighting beans).  Prick the bottom with a fork in several places (to allow air to escape from the underside) and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the shell is a nice golden brown.

• Remove from the oven.  Remove the outer ring and cool.

Roasting Roma Tomatoes

• Wash the tomatoes. Cut off just enough of the stem end to remove the stem and then cut the tomatoes in half (lengthwise).

• Place the cut side down on a flat baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

• Bake in a preheated 450° oven until the skins "pop" up off the flesh (should take about 20 minutes).

• Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using tongs, pluck the skins off the flesh, while the tomatoes are still hot. Discard the skins and let the flesh cool on the baking sheet until ready to use.

Goat Cheese Mixture

Basil Oil

• In a very deep saucepan, fry 6 fresh basil leaves for a few seconds in ¼ cup olive oil and remove immediately. This must be done quickly because the leaves burn easily. While the leaves are still crispy and hot, put them into mini Cuisinart (or similar small food processor) and blend with the frying oil until the leaves are very finely chopped and almost emulsified into the oil. Salt to taste.

Assembly When ready to serve, spread a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture over the bottom of the baked (cooled) pastry crust and top with a layer of roasted Roma tomato halves.  Decorate with fresh basil leaves, as shown in this picture. The tarte could be assembled several hours before serving with out serious deterioration of the crust. Just before serving, drizzle the deep-fried basil oil over the tomatoes.

Notes:

• Tarte Shell:   This recipe was given to me by a friend, Chef Marc Vogel, and I have found it absolutely fool-proof.

• Roma Tomatoes: This is such a meaty tomato it won't fall apart when roasted.  If the tomatoes are hard (and appear to be tasteless) when you buy them, roasting them in this way brings out a surprising amount of flavor.  Roasted Roma tomatoes, using this same roasting technique, can be used in many other recipes.

• Fresh Goat Cheese:   Use only a creamy, mild flavored fresh goat cheese. Don't use a dry, crumbly variety.

• Crème Fraîche: If this is not available, you could use sour cream, buttermilk or heavy cream to bring the goat cheese to a spreadable consistency.