They asked me if I
would be interested in teaching a class called “barefoot in the kitchen” featuring
my favourite recipes from her seven amazing cookbooks. Her original book “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook”,
published in 2000, is still my favourite. The spine is broken in several places but I
can’t bear to replace it.
Anyway, two nights
before my class, I decided to join in on one that Donna-Marie was teaching. I thought it might be a good idea to witness a
class “in action” before teaching one of my own. The class was called “More Pye Please” and it
focused on both sweet & savoury pies, tarts and pastry techniques. My favourites of the evening were the
blueberry hand-held pies and the tomato and goat cheese tart with cornmeal
crust.
These tarts are
packed with flavor and can be served at room temperature or hot out of the
oven. They can be served with a side
salad for lunch (or a light dinner), or can be the wonderful first course at
your next sit-down dinner party.
Relish Cooking Studio’s Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
ingredients: cornmeal
dough
·
¼ (one-quarter) cup sour cream
·
¼ (one-quarter) cup ice-cold water· 1 (one) cup all-purpose flour
· 1/3 (one-third) cup cornmeal
· ½ (one-half) tsp salt
· ½ (one-half) cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
ingredients: topping
·
6 (six) plum tomatoes, roasted (see
instructions below)
·
1 (one) large package (10 oz. / 300 g) goat cheese, crumbled· 1 (one) bunch basil, roughly chopped
· ½ (one-half) cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
· 1 (one) tsp freshly ground black pepper
method
1.
In a bowl, combine sour cream and ice
water; set aside and keep cool.
2. In another bowl whisk together flour,
cornmeal and salt. Add the butter cubes
and work into flour mixture with a pastry blender or with your fingers, until
mixture is crumbly.
3.
Add the sour cream mixture all at once to
the dry ingredients with a fork. The
dough will form a loose ball and will probably seem too moist, but just mix
together gently and separate it into two even disks. Use some flour on your fingers to keep it
from sticking. Wrap in plastic wrap and
place in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
4.
In a bowl combine crumbled goats cheese
and basil.
5.
Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper
and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out
each disk of dough on a well-floured board to about 11-inches. Place each piece of dough onto a cornmeal-sprinkled
pan.
6. Scatter the goat’s cheese and basil onto
the pastry, leaving about a 1-inch border.
Arrange the roasted tomatoes on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan and freshly ground
black pepper.
7. Fold the edges of the tarts up to form
small folds along the edge of the dough.
Gently press down with your fingers.
(Don’t worry about being so perfect with this... it is supposed to be
very rustic.)
8. Bake in a 375 F oven for about 30 minutes
until they are crisp and golden brown.
Rotate pans once in oven if necessary.
Slide tarts out onto a cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before
cutting like a pizza.
Makes 2 tarts
(each tart serves 4 as an appetizer)
method:
roasted tomatoes
1.
Cut 6 plum tomatoes in half lengthwise
and place on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up.
2.
Drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil and
sprinkle with 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried), salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
3.
Roast in a 325 F oven for 1½ to 2 hours
or until tomatoes begin to collapse, brushing occasionally with pan juices.
(Tomatoes can be packed into freezer bag and frozen for up to 6 months.)
