← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1 sheet ready-rolled puff or shortcrust pastry (about 320 g)
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 60 g Gruyère, grated
• 600 g ripe tomatoes (about 4), sliced 5 mm thick
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp herbes de Provence
• 3 sprigs Thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• Black pepper

Method

1. Lay the tomato slices on a rack or kitchen paper, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 15 min to draw out their juice, then blot dry.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Line a baking tray or tart tin with the pastry and prick the base all over with a fork, leaving a 2 cm border.
3. Spread the mustard over the base, inside the border, and scatter with the Gruyère.
4. Overlap the tomato slices on top, then sprinkle with the herbes de Provence, thyme and pepper and drizzle with the oil.
5. Bake for 30–35 min, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden underneath and the tomatoes are soft and slightly caramelised. Cool for 10 min before slicing; it is lovely warm or at room temperature.

Tips

• Salting and draining the tomatoes is what keeps the base crisp, so do not skip it.
• Many hard cheeses use animal rennet; choose a vegetarian Gruyère-style cheese if needed.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Serious Eats David Lebovitz