Tomato and Anchovy Tart
I was sent this book, Tarts, by Frederic Anton and Christelle Brua, and Richard Haughton’s photographs jumped off the page with forthright exuberance. They remind me of an even bolder presentation of the tarts presented in Book of Tarts: Form, Function and Flavor at City Bakery by Maury Ruben from 1995, which, by the way, won design awards. Both books focus on tarts, most within straight-sided, minimalist tart shells, allowing the fillings to become the visual focus. The colors, textures and arrangements of ingredients are bold – just look above! This Tomato and Anchovy Tart is straightforward in ingredients – tomatoes, anchovies, olives, garlic and herbs – yet the actual placement of ingredients creates an elegant tableau. It becomes more than a sum of its parts. Both this tart and the Eggplant Purée Tart use their Savory Pâte Brisée, a very easy to make buttery crust, rich with egg yolk.
Excerpted with permission from Tarts
Preparation 2 hours 15 minutes (for the tart dough)
and 20 minutes (for the filling)
Rest 1 hour
Cooking 40 minutes
- 1 recipe Savory Pâte Brisée
- ⅓ cup flour, for rolling out the dough
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 vine tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 sprig thyme
- 4 cocktail tomatoes, cut into 3-4 rounds each
- 14 black olives, pitted
- 9 anchovy fillets
- A few leaves of dwarf basil
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. On a floured work surface, roll out the Savory Pâte Brisée with a rolling pin to 5 millimeters thick, between ¼- and 8-inch. Place the dough in a buttered tart pan. Crimp the edges. Dock the crust by lightly pricking it all over with a fork. Chill the prepared dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Pre bake this tart base at 300° F for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Make the tomato coulis. Thinly slice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, and add the onion. Quarter the vine tomatoes and add them, along with the garlic and the thyme. Do not season with salt, as the anchovies will add enough salt to the recipe.
- Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Purée the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender, and pass it through a chinois.
- Bring the oven temperature up to 350° F. Pour some of the tomato coulis into the cooled, pre-baked crust. Add the cocktail tomatoes, the black olives and the anchovy fillets.
- Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.
- Garnish the tart with a few leaves of dwarf basil. Serve immediately.
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