Oven Dried Tomato Crostata

tomato crostata7

I like how Michael Chiarello calls this a crostata instead of a tart.

I would happily trade the name "tart queen" for "crostata queen".

This is what I did with the semi oven dried tomatoes from yesterday.
Do not be tempted to use those shriveled up sundried tomatoes for this recipe, you need the plump oven roasted ones you make yourself.



This was beautiful and very simple to make.
You can prepare the tomatoes a few days before, and the rest of the ingredients come together in no time at all.



Oven Dried Tomato Crostata: (inspired from Napa Style, see original recipe here)

If you want to make your own crust, click on the original recipe link, Chiarello uses champagne vinegar in his pastry.
I made Martha Stewart's pate brise recipe, because I know it in my head.

Roll out your pie crust to fit a 9" heavy tart pan with removable bottom.



For the filling:
16 oven dried tomato halves (give or take a few), cut into halves again
1.5 cups of skim milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
a pinch of sea salt
ground black pepper

Mix the ricotta cheese with the eggs and other ingredients until nice and light with a wooden spoon. You want the filling to be fluffy and light, and puff up like a souffle.

Spread the ricotta mixture into your prepared tart shell.

Cut your semi oven dried tomatoes in half (they will now be quarters) so they will be easy to cut thru when slicing the crostata, and in a concentric circle, arrange the tomato quarters in a row.
Going in the opposite direction, finish the center row.



I put a little dab of prepared pesto in the center of the crostata.

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375F for 40 minutes until puffed up and golden.



When cool enough to handle, remove tart ring. I use a tomato can placed in the center of the pan, the ring slides right off.



Garnish with basil chiffonade (rolled and sliced fresh basil leaves).


This is SO DELICIOUS!







Comments

Anonymous said…
A tomato can!!!!!!!!!! Who woulda' thought. Looks GREAT!
love,
mil
Beautiful pin wheel effect! I think you've earned "Queen of Crostata!"
Ciao Chow Linda said…
I'm a big Michael Chiarello fan and this tart is just indicative of the wonderful things he makes. As long as you're going for the crostata moniker, you might as well be "Regina delle Crostate" to make it all Italian.
kat said…
That does look fantastic & I imagine the flavor of those tomatoes is much better than those little shriveled ones.
lisa is cooking said…
Crostata queen is a great title! And, this is a great-looking crostata. Oven-dried tomatoes are so delicious.
SarahB said…
This looks like a WINNER!
This is heaven! if I had some plum tomatoes I'd make this right now because I always have ricotta in my frig. I love how the tomatoes look on top all swirled. You and MC are my hero's!
Dewi said…
I knew you are going to make something delicious out this tomatoes. First I have to make that dried oven tomatoes, then I'll make this tart.
Anonymous said…
A puffy, crusty, masterpiece - fit for a king, or queen, basically, anybody with tastebuds! Stacey, uptown houseladies would happily drop big bucks at the Vinegar Factory to bring home this impressively professional savoury.
Foodiewife said…
There's a reason that you are the Queen of Tarts. Lovely! A can... who knew? D'oh! How do you keep the crust from shrinking though? I run into that more than I care to admit.
Too beautiful for words. Rosemary
Velva said…
Just beautiful. Love it.
Bob said…
Oooo, that looks wicked good. I need to try making those tomatoes.
noble pig said…
Stacey you hit right on my taste buds! Absolutely beautiful...I must get that pan so I can make this.
Jen_from_NJ said…
Queen of Crostata most definitely! This is a work of art.

I always use vinegar in my pie crust - it is supposed to relax the gluten and make the dough flakier.
Steve said…
Dear Crostata Queen,
This looks amazing. I'll be doing the oven tomatoes this weekend. I like the idea of this crostata as a starter. How can it miss?
Cheers,
Steve
http://www.myfavoriteflavours.com
Laurie said…
This looks fabulous! Leave it to Michael to make us feel like real Italians Queens in the kitchen! I am going to roast some tomatoes tonight..they are calling to me!!
The JR said…
Looks fantastic.
Dana said…
Just gorgeous, Stacey. And I'm sure it was totally delicious. I love that deep dish tart pan, they give you such a nice ratio of filling to crust. Got to get me one of those! :)
Michele Ruta said…
Hi Stacey! I found you when I googled "oven dried jersey tomatoes" since I picked up a bunch of "uglies" for a dollar from the farm stand with the sole intention of making oven dried maters! The goodness is in the oven now and you convinced me not to do a super long 12 hour but a 4 to 6 hour roasting.
Anonymous said…
Indeed it looks amazing and for sure it is delicious too. But shouldn't crostata be a free-form sort of a pie?
Stacey Snacks said…
Anonymous,
You are correct, a crostata is probably a rustic free form tart, however, the well known chef cookbook author Michael Chiarello calls this a "crostata" in his book, so who am I to argue?