PREP. TIME: 30 mins. COOKING TIME: 35 mins. YIELD: Serves 4
Ingredients for a 26 cm diameter cake tin, 3-4 cm high
For the savory shortcrust pastry
250 g (2 cups) multi-purpose flour
40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
140 g unsalted butter, very cold
1 medium egg
6 thyme sprigs
salt and pepper to taste
For the filling
650 g red cherry tomatoes
20 g white sugar
1 clove garlic
4- 5 thyme sprigs
salt and pepper to taste
15 g pine nuts
Preparation
The savory shortcrust pastry
Put in a food processor flour and cold butter cut into small pieces; blend for a few moments until the butter is reduced to very fine crumbs.
Add the grated cheese, egg, thyme, salt and pepper and blend again until all the ingredients are compacted.
At this point, turn the mixture over onto the work surface and knead quickly until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. With the dough form a ball and, using a rolling pin, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper, once you have obtained a circle of about 30 cm place it in the refrigerator to firm.
The filling
Take a cake tin or pan suitable for baking in the oven with a diameter of 26 cm and put on the bottom a little extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic and thyme leaves. Sauté and brown the garlic then remove it and put the whole tomatoes in a pan adding sugar, salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat.
Pine nuts
Put the pine nuts in a pan on low heat and make them golden and crispy, taking care to turn them often so as not to burn them. Let them cool.
Assemble and bake
Take the salted pastry, pierce the surface with a fork (or a toothpick) and place it on the cherry tomatoes treading the outer edges towards the inside of the pan as if to embrace them. You can use a spatula to assist in this operation.
Bake the tarte tatin in a preheated static oven at 175 degrees for about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, wait 10 minutes so that the juice of the tomatoes is absorbed by the pastry and turn it upside down on a serving plate. Add some toasted pine nuts on the surface, a few fresh thyme leaves and cut your slice of tasty salted tarte tatin with cherry tomatoes!