Mary Berry’s Provence Tomato and Garlic Pistou Tart
Be transported to summers in the south of France with Mary Berry's sumptuous sharing tart, packed with roasted tomatoes, brie, garlic and basil.
From the book
Mary Berry Cook and Share
120 recipes designed for sharing with friends and family
Recipe keys and menus to make event planning easy
From sharing platter dishes and classic bakes, to decadent brunch ideas and Sunday roasts
Introduction
With thin cheesy pastry and juicy roasted tomatoes, this is the perfect tart for sharing on lazy sunny days with a glass of rosé and memories of French holidays! Pistou is a French garlic and basil sauce, similar to Italian pesto. In Provence there is also a traditional soupe au pistou which uses the same flavours.
Ingredients
| For the cheese pastry: | |
|---|---|
| 175g (60z) | plain flour, plus extra for dusting |
| 115g (4oz) | butter, cubed |
| 55g (20z) | Parmesan, grated |
| 1 | egg, beaten |
| For the filling: | |
| 1kg (2¼lb) | medium-sized ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil |
| 5 | garlic cloves, halved |
| 3 tbsp | sun-dried tomato paste |
| 115g (4oz) | Brie, cut into thin slices |
| For the pistou: | |
| 2 | garlic cloves |
| 2 tsp | sea salt |
| Small bunch (15g / ½oz) of | basil |
| Small bunch (15g / ½oz) of | mint, leaves picked |
| 75ml (2½fl oz) | olive oil |
| A squeeze of | fresh lemon juice |
Essential kit
You will need: a 33 × 23cm Swiss roll tin.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
To make the pastry, measure the flour, butter and Parmesan into a food processor. Whiz until breadcrumb stage. Add the egg and ½ tablespoon of water and whiz again until the mixture comes together. Tip out on to a floured work surface and knead gently into a ball. Roll the pastry out thinly and use it to line the base and sides of the tin. Prick the base with a fork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Arrange the tomatoes in a large roasting tin.
Place the oil and garlic in a small bowl. Swirl around to coat the garlic in the oil, then pour the oil over the tomatoes. Tuck the cloves between the sliced tomatoes and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans. Slide on to the middle shelf of the oven. Place the tomatoes on the top shelf and cook both for 20 minutes. Take the pastry case out of the oven and remove the paper and beans. Return the pastry to the oven with the tomatoes for another 5–10 minutes, until the pastry case has dried out and the tomatoes are soft but not mushy. Leave them both to cool slightly in the tins.
Spread the sun-dried tomato paste over the base of the pastry, then carefully arrange the roasted tomatoes in neat rows on top, making sure not to add too much of the juice from the roasting tin. Scatter the garlic cloves over the top and season again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are lightly tinged.
Meanwhile, to make the pistou, place the garlic, salt and herbs in a food processor and whiz. While the processor is still whizzing, slowly pour in the olive oil to make a soft paste. Add a splash of lemon juice.
Lay the slices of Brie over the warm tart and return to the oven for 3–4 minutes to melt a little.
Drizzle over the pistou and serve warm with a dressed green salad.
Mary’s tips: Can be made up to 8 hours ahead and warmed to serve. Pistou can be made up to 2 days ahead. Not suitable for freezing.
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