TOMATO TART Á LA CUISINE MINCEUR

SOURCE: PIERRE FRANEY AND CLAUDIA FRANEY JENSEN. PIERRE FRANEY COOKS WITH HIS FRIENDS.

Cuisine minceur or “slimming cooking” spun off from the tenets of nouvelle cuisine by emphasizing calorie content without compromising the overall qualities of gourmet dishes. The mastermind behind this culinary movement is Michel Guérard, a chef whose restaurant and spa in Eugénie-les-Bains has garnered fame, alongside three Michelin stars, for his ingenious approaches to conceiving 480-calorie lunches and 300-calorie dinners. His version of the tomato tart exemplifies the philosophical praxis of cuisine minceur by treating the sparsity of the puff pastry much akin to an unleavened thin pizza crust and buffering the intensity of tomato paste (in lieu of tomato puree) with the exuded juices of the sliced tomatoes. One can only expect the taste buds experiencing a sensory and guiltless revelation of solanaceous purity from this tomato tart.

Ingredients

12 ounces/340 grams well-chilled puff pastry, homemade or store-bought

1/4 cup/60 mL olive oil

1 tablespoon/1 gram chopped basil, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

8 ripe plum tomatoes, each weighing around 4 ounces/113 grams and preferably with twigs and leaves attached

3 tablespoons/42 grams tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon/5 mL hot sauce or Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon/3 grams aspartame OR 2 teaspoons/8 grams granulated sugar

1 tablespoon/3 grams thyme leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results, OR 1 teaspoon/1 gram dried thyme

Large basil leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day, for garnish

Specific Equipment

Rolling pin

Marble pastry board, well-chilled

Ring mold with a diameter of 8 inches/20 cm

Pastry brush

2 small mixing bowls

Paring knife

Large saucepan

OPTIONAL: Tweezers

Fork OR spiked pastry roller

Serves 4

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.

2. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 1/8 inch/0.32 cm. on the marble pastry board. Lay an 8-inch/20-cm flan ring or ring mold over the puff pastry and cut 4 circles with each circle having a diameter of 8 inches/20 cm.

3. Brush the parchment paper lightly with 1 tablespoon/15 mL olive oil and transfer the pastry circles onto the sheet, leaving a allowance of 2-inch/5-cm distance between each one. Keep on a cool place or chill to set aside.

4. Combine 3 tablespoons/45 mL olive oil and chopped basil in a small mixing bowl until well-blended. Set aside.

5. Core out the leaves and twigs from the tomatoes, making sure they are kept completely intact. Set the tomato cores aside for garnish, if desired.

6. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and blanch the cored tomatoes in the water for 10 seconds. Drain, cool, and peel the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes into evenly thick rounds, about 1/4 inch/0.64 cm. Discard the seeds by gently pushing them out with fingers or picking them out with a tweezer, keeping the tomato flesh intact, if desired.

7. Mix the tomato paste and half of the olive oil-basil mixture in another small bowl until well-blended.

8. Prick the pastry circles with a fork or a spiked pastry roller to prevent the puff pastry from rising during baking. Spread a thin layer of the tomato paste-olive oil mixture evenly over each circle, leaving a clean margin of 1/4 inch/0.64 cm.

9. Lay the tomato slices all over the puff pastry, entirely covering the tomato paste-olive oil mixture. Fill in the center with tomato slices to make a single layer.

10. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with hot sauce or Tabasco, if desired. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and thyme.

11. Bake the tarts for 15 minutes. Remove the tarts from the oven and brush the top with the remaining olive oil-basil mixture. Transfer the tarts to individual serving platters and decorate the top of the tarts with fresh basil leaves and the tomato cores.