Green Tomato Tarte Tatin Recipes

Steps:

• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Season the tomato halves with kosher salt and pepper and set aside. Place the sugar in a large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan over the direct heat side of the grill. Shake out into an even layer and allow to melt then caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Stir in the garlic, onions and thyme, then the parsley and allow the liquid to melt back down. Remove from the heat.
• Place the tomatoes flesh side down on top of the onions. Place on the indirect heat side of the grill, close the lid and vents of the grill (this will make the temperature drop to 225 to 250 degrees F) and bake until the skins are wrinkly and the tomatoes have softened and given up more liquid, 2 hours.
• Brush another large enameled cast iron braiser or saute pan with the butter. When the tomatoes are ready, scoop the tomatoes out of their juices and place them in the buttered pan, cut side up and skin side down. Add the caramelized onions on top of the tomatoes. Using kitchen shears, cut off the square edges of the puff pastry, rounding the edges. Top the tomatoes and onions with the puff pastry round.
• Place the pan on the indirect heat side of the grill, with the air vents open, and cover the grill. The temperature should be around 425 degrees F. Bake until golden brown and the pastry is puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 3 minutes before turning out on to a plate. Garnish with a sprig of basil in the center and sprinkle with flakey salt.

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan until the butter has melted. Cook the onion over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until beautifully golden, stirring often. Stir in the sugar and cook for another couple of minutes. Tip the onion and juices into a bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C.
• For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour to make fine crumbs. Stir in the parmesan, thyme and a pinch of salt. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp cold water, then mix to make a dough. Wrap in cling film.
• For the tomatoes, heat the butter and oil in a 20cm tart tatin tin on the hob until quite hot. Stir in the sugar and garlic, then put in the plum tomatoes cut-side down with a few thyme sprigs, and sizzle for no more than 1 minute. Scatter in the whole cherry tomatoes and tuck in a bit more thyme. Take off the heat and spread the onions on top. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the pastry until it's slightly bigger than the top of the tin. Lay it over the onions and tuck any excess down the sides.
• Bake on a baking sheet for 25 minutes until golden. Cool for 5 minutes, invert a plate over the top and upturn the tart onto it. Scatter with extra thyme and black pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Unfold puff pastry and cut a 10-inch disc. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to deglaze pan, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
• In a clean, oven-proof 9-inch skillet, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat, swirling gently (do not stir with a spoon) until sugar melts and turns into an amber-colored caramel, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add vinegar carefully and swirl again. The caramel will seize, but will re-melt in the oven.
• Sprinkle olives over caramel, then scatter tomatoes over olives. Sprinkle onions on top, then season with thyme, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry circle, tucking edges into sides of pan. Cut several vents in top of pastry.
• Bake until tart crust is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan. Flip tart onto a pan lid and slide onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Steps:

• At least one day before you plan to cook the tart, prepare the apples: Slice off the bottom of each apple so it has a flat base. Peel and quarter the apples. Use a small sharp knife to trim the hard cores and seeds from the center of each quarter; don't worry about being too neat. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, lightly covered, for at least one day or up to three days. (This key step reduces the amount of liquid in the tart. Don't worry if the apples turn brown; they will be browned during the cooking anyway.)
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 if using convection). Thickly coat the bottom of a 10-inch heavy ovenproof skillet, preferably nonstick metal, with butter. Sprinkle sugar evenly on top.
• Cut one piece of apple into a thick round disk and place in the center of the skillet to serve as the "button." Arrange the remaining apple pieces, each one standing on its flat end, in concentric circles around the button. Keep the pieces close together so that they support one another, standing upright. They will look like the petals of a flower.
• On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry about 1/8-inch thick. Place an upside-down bowl or pan on the pastry and use the tip of a sharp knife to cut out a circle about the same size as the top of your skillet. Lift out the circle and drape gently over the apples. Use your hands to tuck the pastry around the apple pieces, hugging them together firmly.
• Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until golden-brown juice begins to bubble around the edges, 3 minutes (if the juices keep rising, spoon out as needed to remain level with pastry). If necessary, raise the heat so that the juices are at a boil. Keep cooking until the juices are turning darker brown and smell caramelized, no longer than 10 minutes more.
• Transfer skillet to the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until puff pastry is browned and firm.
• Let cool 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a round serving plate. (Or, if not serving immediately, let cool completely in the pan; when ready to serve, rewarm for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven before turning out.) If any apples remain stuck in the pan, gently use your fingers or a spatula to retrieve them, and rearrange on the pastry shell. Cut in wedges and serve warm with heavy cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Steps:

• For pictures see http://outoftheordinaryfood.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/green-tomato-tarte-tatin/ I use a richer dough for this, to make it more substantial and to balance the tartness of the tomatoes. I start with 1 1/2 cups flour, and I add salt, 1/2 t. baking powder, and 1/4 cup very finely grated parmesan. Then I grate in 6 T. of frozen butter, and mix it into a fine crumb. At this point I add one egg, and stir that in. You'll need less ice water to pull this althogether - maybe 1/4 cup. Knead it very slightly, and draw it into a ball. Wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Cut the tomatoes into large slices, maybe 1/2 to 1 inch across. Dice a large shallot very finely. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt a few tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add the tomatoes and shallots, and stir very gently, letting them get soft and begin to brown. I add a teaspoon or so of thyme. When the sugar and butter start to thicken and reduce, add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, to deglaze the pan. Cook until the liquid is quite thick and syrupy, and the tomatoes and shallots are soft and slightly brown. At this point, if you had a saucepan that could go in the oven, you would arrange the tomato slices prettily in the pan you sauteed them in. If, like me, you don't have such a pan, you put them in a pie plate, trying to make them look pretty if you have time, or pretending you really want them to be in a wild and messy jumble if you don't. Roll out the dough to be slightly larger than your pan. It doesn't need to be too thin, about 1/4 - 1/3 inch is fine. set it over the tomatoes, and tuck the edges in all around. Bake at 400 for about 1/2 hour, until the crust is brown and the tomato-y juices start to seep out the edges. Turn it out onto a plate, slice, and eat!

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Melt the butter with a splash of olive oil in your widest frying pan. Add the tomatoes, skin-side down, in a single layer (you can do this in 2 batches if they won't all fit) and cook over a low heat until they release their juices. Lift out with a slotted spoon and rearrange in a tart tin (roughly 23cm), skin-side down - cram them in as they will shrink a little and you don't want any gaps. Add the sugar and vinegar to the pan, and cook until the pan juices are reduced and syrupy. Drizzle over the tomatoes in the tin, then scatter with the oregano or thyme and season.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a good 25-26cm round. Lay on top of the tomatoes, and tuck the edges down. Use a fork to prick holes all over the pastry - this will help the steam to escape.
• Sit the tart tin on a flat baking tray and bake for 30 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Let the tart sit for 10 mins, then run a knife round the edge to release the pastry. Carefully flip the tart over onto a serving plate or board and scatter with more herbs to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold puff pastry sheet and cut into a 10-inch round; chill, covered, until ready to use.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and let cook off, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer onions to a bowl.
• In a clean, ovenproof 9-inch skillet, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan gently (do not stir) until sugar melts and turns amber, 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar and swirl gently.
• Sprinkle olives over caramel. Scatter tomatoes over olives, then sprinkle onions on. Season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry round, tucking edges into pan. Cut several long vents in top of pastry.
• Bake tart until crust is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.