The ivy on the back wall of the building I can spy from my office has turned a deep, vibrant crimson. We've put away our summer clothes and pulled out our woolen hats, our thick socks, our flannel pyjamas. The toasty smell of the heating rises up against the windows in the morning. But my favorite stand at the green market is still selling plum tomatoes, the last ones of the season, and I am physically incapable of passing them by, no matter how heavily autumn presses upon us. Every week, I buy a sackful of those tomatoes and simmer them into sauces, chop them into Hugo's pastina, turn them into a quick lunch with a piece of cheese and bread. They're still irresistible, despite the winter squash and cabbage that look at me fetchingly from the side.
My most recent way to make my way through a pile of tomatoes was to bake a French tomato mustard tart from Clotilde's lovely new cookbook, The French Market Cookbook. A savory olive oil tart dough speckled with poppy and sesame seeds is parbaked, then filled with a savory blend of sautéed onions, mustard and egg. On top go a whole mess of halved, seeded and salted plum tomatoes before the tart goes back in the oven. There, the tomatoes shrink and shrivel, the crust goes crisp, the mustard and onions mellow. We ate slices of the tart hot from the oven and they were very good, but an overnight rest made them truly sing. The next day, Max and I eyed each other ferociously over the last few slices.
(A note: I mistakenly used a tart pan that was too small by a few inches, only realizing my mistake when the tart was already in the oven. Don't follow in my footsteps – make sure you use an 11- or 12-inch tart pan. You want the tart dough to be very, very thin.)
Clotilde is celebrating her blog's tenth anniversary today. Oh, 2003! I still remember first discovering Chocolate & Zucchini just a few months after Clotilde got started and feeling like I'd happened upon something seriously momentous. Her newest book, The French Market Cookbook, is a celebration of the very things that Clotilde has always done so well: simple yet creative vegetarian dishes that are seasonal and delicious, but also very, very beautiful.
One of Clotilde's gifts lies in the ability to take rather prosaic ingredients and transform them into something delectable. This book is full of these ideas. To wit: a stir-fry with barley flakes, carrots and curry; a mashed broccoli casserole on a bed of green lentils and rice; or, the one I'm now most excited to try, poor man's bouillabaisse, with nary a piece of fish in sight (poached eggs and peas take center stage). She updates an old French classic, fontainebleau, with yogurt, but also goes way back with an old-fashioned take on macarons made with walnuts and almonds and sandwiched together with a simple filling of melted chocolate.
Happily, I have an extra copy of The French Market Cookbook to give away today, in celebration of Clotilde and her lovely site and all the things she made me feel capable of doing all those years ago. So for a chance to win a copy, please leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner at random on Wednesday. Good luck!
Update: Jennifer is the winner and has been emailed. Thank you all for participating – comments are now closed.
Clotilde Dusoulier's Tomato Mustard Tart
Makes 1 11-12 inch tart
tart dough:
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon toasted poppy seeds (optional)
1 large egg
1. Combine the flour, salt and seeds, if using, in a bowl. Add the oil, egg and 1/4 cup/60 ml of water and mix them in with a fork until absorbed. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together in a smooth ball.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, turning it every so often, so that it doesn't stick to the surface or pin. Avoid overworking the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled 11- or 12-inch tart pan and line it neatly. Chill for 30 minutes.
filling:
1 large egg, separated
1 3/4 pounds (800 grams) plum tomatoes
Fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling (optional)
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Handful of basil leaves, if available
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 ).
2. Brush the tart dough with some of the egg white. Bake for 30 minutes.
3. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and squeeze out the juice and seeds and core. (Save them for drinking with a sprinkle of salt – so good!) Sprinkle the cut sides with salt and place the tomatoes face down in a colander to drain.
4. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the onions are very soft, but haven't taken on any color. Let cool slightly.
5. Stir the egg yolk and any remaining white and the mustard into the onions and spread over the crust. Arrange the halved tomatoes, cut side down, over the onion layer. Drizzle the tart with more olive oil to taste (optional). Bake the tart until the tomatoes are wrinkled and fragrant, 45 minutes.
6. Top with shredded basil and black pepper and serve warm or let cool and store at room temperature overnight before serving.
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224 responses to “Clotilde Dusoulier’s Tomato Mustard Tart – and a Giveaway!”
Now I know what to do with the plum tomatoes sitting in my fridge.
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Great idea. This looks like something I need to make this fall.
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Never refrigerate tomatoes! Wuff! Now that I got that off my chest, that tart looks lovely. Thanks for the contest.
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love this crust!!!
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Thrilled. This tart! This book! And the last of the season’s tomatoes!
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Thank you for the post! The tart looks yummy. It makes me want to try these tart dough and filling with other vegetables as well.
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What a wonderful way to enjoy the last of the summer tomatoes!
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The tart looks amazing and thanks for introducing another great blog!
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Oooh, das Kochbuch hört sich seeehr gut an. Und die Tarte erst. Lecker!
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Looks Fab! especially the crust…I’d be half tempted to make extra of that, roll it out thin, and bake up some crackers too!
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this sounds heavenly!
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If I could live in only one month for the rest of my life, I’d like it to be September. Tomatoes, corn and fresh potatoes… Mmm. Add any of those to some good pastry dough and that’s about all I need. (Well, maybe some bacon and mayo and basil, too!)
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I can’t wait for flannel weather!
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Ooh, I’ll be trying this tart before the tomatoes go away, hopefully. C&Z mentioned it as being in the book a while back, and I was hoping someone would post it online…
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Wow, 2003? Don’t think I go back that far, but maybe 2005? Regardless, would love to see her new book and try out her good recipes! Thanks for sharing!
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Summer is just around the corner here in Sydney and I will definitely be trying this recipe soon.
I am pretty sure I found this blog through Clotilde’s and have enjoyed them both so much! I have your book (which I adored reading!!) and Clotilde’s first, I would love to win her second. Thanks!!
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I just LOVE your blog. Very INSPIRING!
I would so appreciate your giveaway!
Susie
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Lovely! I can’t resist fresh plum tomatoes either. 😉
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I’m excited to try this recipe. I like that it doesn’t have any cheese in it, which I often find makes savory tarts very heavy.
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I’m so sad that tomato season is coming to an end. This tart looks like a delicious way to celebrate that ending in style!
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This looks like a great way to enjoy the last of this season’s tomatoes! I’ve been eyeing this cookbook for weeks!
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Perfect for the last of the tomatoes 🙂
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Perfect! Every evening I believe I am harvesting the end of the tomatoes, and then there are always more…
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Yum! Have to make this ASAP! Where in Berlin did you find the Edmond Fallot mustard?
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ONe can never have too many cookbooks…and this one looks great!
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So jealous of your lovely fall weather. I live in South Florida and although we are seeing peeks of cooler weather, it’s still hot and humid here (and will be for another month). Thanks for describing fall so rapturously! I can live vicariously through you!
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That looks delish! I love her blog and I’m sure her book is fantastic as well. I made the saag over the weekend and it was a creamy delight. I subbed some Chinese mustard greens from my CSA for some of the spinach and it turned out fab. I underestimated the time to reduce the water, but it was worth the wait.
Fingers crossed for a new cookbook full of adventures!
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I love the idea of baking tarts right now. I’ve been craving something like this for the last few weeks, so I think I’ll be making this soon!
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I have some tomatoes still hanging around and this looks delightful!
Her new book looks great!
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My mouth is watering at the descriptions of the recipes in Clotilde’s new book! Can’t wait to try this tart out first!
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Ohh, I want that tart! It was too hot here this year for even my tough plum tomatoes but this may inspire me to plant a fall crop now that the weather is tolerable. Have been debating trying to sneak that cookbook in to the house (my cookbook shelf is full and the hubby thinks I should thin the herd). If I were to win it though, I don’t see that he could comment 😉
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So much goodness! Yum!
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There are lots of plum tomatoes still in the markets here too, so perhaps I’ll give this a try on the weekend. I don’t think I’ve had mustard with tomatoes.
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Perfect timing! Can’t wait to try this recipe out. Thanks.
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That looks fabulous! I’m still getting tomatoes from my garden — gotta use them up!
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Oh Luisa, so much of what you said here could be said about you, I love this blog so much! Thank you again for shedding light on such good and simple things.
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Pick me!! Pick me!! We’ve been doing meatless Mondays for a few months now and I was just looking for some new vegetarian recipes to keep me inspired! Xoxo
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Lovely recipe. It’s always good to have fresh ideas for the last of the summer produce. We’ve had such stormy weather here in Seattle…a tart like that helps the weather go down a bit more easily!
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What a lovely dish! Thanks for sharing!
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I would love this. I’ve made a similar tomato “pie,” but the poppy seeds are a great idea.
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The tart looks great.
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What is it about Dijon mustard in tarts with veggies that is so magical? Also completely agree with you that Clotilde is a genius, I started reading her blog right about the time I started reading yours 🙂 I think what makes your both so awesome is that writing you put with the recipes, though. You both have this way of making random musings on life and food so poetic.
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I love cookbooks and French food; that tart looks delicious!
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I succumbed to the lure of fall yesterday at the farmer’s market and bought a butternut squash instead of tomatoes! Hard to let summer go so soon, but the low light in evenings and leaves drifting downwards are awfully enticing, too.
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Oh, perfect! I have some Roma tomatoes and a tart with a green salad and maybe a slab of cheese makes the most WONDERFUL dinner. Thank you, Luisa!
Ansley
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This looks beautiful! Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
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I love the idea of seeds in the crust! I have one of Clotilde’s earlier books, and there’s a fantastic chicken stew with these same flavors. How wonderful! You are both such treasures of the food blogosphere! Merci!
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It looks great, I have to make it !!!
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That tart looks amazing! Her book seems like a lovely inspiration!
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I just made David Lebovitz’s tomato chevre tart (also with mustard) with out late tomatoes.
What a good time of year for blending the fruit and veg of two seasons.
Happy fall!
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