Tomato tarte tatin

Tarte tatin–an apple upside-down pie–is a classic French dessert. But the same idea can work well with other things. Especially tomatoes, so bountiful in summer.

The beauty of this tarte, besides being beautiful, is that it’s good cold. So you can make it ahead.

This isn’t so much a recipe as a procedure. It works very well with cherry tomatoes, and you can play with different colors or all the same. I didn’t have quite enough cherry tomatoes, so I sliced a pretty yellow “ananas” (pineapple) variety to fill in. Remember, the bottom is what you see.

Tomato Tarte Tatin

3 cups of cherry tomatoes (enough to cover the bottom of a pie pan)

2 onions, sliced thinly

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme

1/2 cup black olives, sliced

olive oil, salt, pepper

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

a pie crust (not in the pan but rolled up, if you’re buying premade)

Make your pie dough. I wasn’t thrilled with how it turned out, so you’re on your own for that recipe. Pre-made works just fine.

Showing off my awesome pastry board that was made for me when I was born (!!!) by my great-uncle. That’s some baby gift, eh? And it’s been useful for a very long time.

While the dough is chilling/resting, assemble the insides. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Gently brown the onion and garlic in the olive oil. This works best if you have a pie pan that can go on the stove. My range is induction, and this metal pan works on it. That means all the caramelized goodness stays there. If you have a glass or ceramic pie dish, that’s OK–you just have to transfer the onions to it–you can put them on top of the tomatoes, which is prettier anyway.

Sprinkle on the olives, thyme, salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar.

Arrange the tomatoes.

Cover with the pie crust, tucking it down around the sides.

Bake for about half an hour–until the crust is brown.

Serving tip: Leave it in the pan like this until you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, all the tomato juices will soak into the crust, making it soggy. Place a plate over the pan and flip when you’re ready to take it to the table.