Tomato Tarte Tatin

We tried our hand at a little home garden this summer. We planted a small herb garden with basil, thyme, oregano, & chives and a few tomato plants. Our sungold plant is thriving; we pick a handful of little orange beauties each day. We've gotten a few roma tomatoes, but they are a little mealy tasting. We have ONE Beefsteak on the wine vine (Freudian slip!) and have FINALLY gotten a bloom or two on the Brandywine plant.

So, to satiate our craving for fresh tomatoes, we've been buying them at our local farmers market each Saturday. Is there nothing better than a freshly-picked tomato at the peak of the summer season? I don't think there is.

We had quite a few cherry tomatoes of different sizes & varieties...round red ones, oval red ones, orange ones, yellow ones, & "chocolate" ones which have a brownish skin. To use them up we made a tart in the Le Creuset tarte tatin pan we got as a wedding gift.

I can't believe I didn't make this sooner. All I can say is MAKE THIS NOW. Seriously. Now. Go! It's amazingly good.

Tomato Tarte Tatin 

I didn't follow a particular recipe, but I used tips & techniques from several recipes. Here's what I did. Precise measurements don't really matter here.

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes, assorted sizes & varieties
extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 large onion, peeled & cut in half
dried thyme and/or oregano
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed & rolled out slightly.
fresh basil
cheese of your choice

Directions:

• Halve any larger tomatoes & place in a tart tatin pan or pie dish with the cut sides up. Leave smaller tomatoes whole. Cover the entire bottom of your pan with as many tomatoes as will fit in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven & make sure none of the tomatoes are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a little more oil if need be to prevent sticking.
• Meanwhile, slice the onion & caramelize in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, & a large pinch of dried thyme or oregano. 
• When the tomatoes are soft, arrange the onions over them & top with a sheet of puff pastry. Tuck in any edges or corners, but be sure that the pastry reaches to the edge of the pan all around. Cut a few slits in the top of the dough & bake until it's puffed & golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and place a plate over the top. The plate should be slightly larger than the pan. CAREFULLY invert the pan with the plate on top so that the tart comes out onto the plate.
• Sprinkle the top of the tart with basil & cheese (we used ricotta salata, but you could use parmesan or any other cheese you like). Cut into wedges to serve.