Look at that tomata!

Well, not quite so fast.

As much as I would love to say that I bought a basket full of beautiful, plump, locally grown tomatoes, it is a little early for those delightful little gems to find their way to our table.

But, I have put the wheels in motion to have some interesting heirloom tomatoes at my fingertips. Lucky for us, not only can we purchase tomatoes from our favorite Redding farmers on the Saturday Farmers Market in a few short weeks, but right now, YES, RIGHT NOW, we can buy heirloom tomato seedlings!

This season I decided to work on a container garden. After a little chat with Margaret from Good Work Organic Farm, I thought I could manage a small container garden dedicated to a few favorite summer staples that would supplement my weekly trips to the Redding Farmers Market. I knew that I definitely wanted tomatoes, basil and squash. Margaret suggested a few varieties that sound amazing.

Listen to some of these charming names of tomato seedlings that you can purchase from Good Work: Tiny Tiger, Purple Clabash, Plum Lemon, Amish Paste, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Green Grape, Golden Jubilee, and my favorite, Hillbilly.

This is just a sample of the seedlings available. Good Work Organic Farm not only has a vast list of tomatoes to delight your senses, but  also has an interesting selection of squash, herbs and other surprises to tempt the farmer in you.

I brought home a black beauty zucchini, patty pan squash, basil, and sungold, golden jubilee, and tiny tiger tomatoes. I look forward to the warm tomatoes off the vine and making my grandmother’s zucchini relish from my own little garden. I am going to include my favorite tomato tart recipe for when your own garden produces fantastic tomatoes or for you to go and support our local farming community.

Printer-friendly recipe

Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pepper Parmesan Pastry

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pesto (homemade or purchased)
2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced 3/4-inch thick

To make the pepper pastry:  Blend together flour, butter, Parmesan, pepper and salt in a bowl with your fingertips, or use your food processor or mixer, until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and gently stir with your fingers, or use your food processor/mixer until incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful. If it doesn’t hold together without falling apart, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently after each addition until incorporated. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Place rolled out dough into tart pan or pie pan.  Lightly prick tart shell all over with a fork.  Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to prevent shrinkage. Now we are going to bake the tart shell ‘blind’ - which simply means that we line shell with foil (or parchment) and weigh down with purchased pie weights. (What I use is a mixture of uncooked rice and beans.) Bake in the center of the oven 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack.

Now it is time to fill our baked tart. If using a traditional tart pan, remove the side of pan. Arrange one third of mozzarella in bottom of shell and drizzle with one third of pesto. I have found that purchased pesto can be somewhat thick, if this is the case for you, I suggest adding a touch of olive oil to thin the pesto and make it easier to work with. Arrange one third of tomato slices, overlapping, on top of the mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering twice.

You can serve this cold, or I like to heat mine for about 10 minutes to soften the cheese and tomatoes and for the flavor of the basil pesto to marry with the other ingredients.

Enjoy!

Andrea Charroin was a trained baker and pastry chef in San Francisco before she, her husband Westley, and their two sons moved to Redding nine years ago. After falling in love with Redding’s downtown, Andrea and Westley opened a little pastry shop, Rene-Joule Patisserie, across from the Cascade Theatre. For the three years Rene-Joule was in business, it was renowned for making everything from scratch, using the best ingredients and keeping with a seasonal menu. To this day, Andrea is still asked about her Marathon Bars, Orange Twists and sourdough bread.

Copyright 2008 Andrea R. Charroin

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