A savoury version of that French classic, made here with colourful cherry tomatoes, Balsamic vinegar and a splash of honey.
This is not as easy as my apple tarte tatin recipe as the tomatoes release a lot of liquid when they're cooked, and if you're not careful, you end up with a soggy tart. (I'm speaking from experience here!) So, the trick is to cook the tomatoes first and drain off the juices.
approx 300g puff pastry (I used a store bought ready-made all butter puff pastry sheet)
about 700g cherry tomatoes (different colours are nice)
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
salt and pepper
You will need a tarte tatin dish or a 20cm heavy-based ovenproof frying pan.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
The first thing to do is cut a circle out of your puff pastry sheet, slightly larger than the pan, and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Put your tarte tatin dish on the hob on a low heat, melt the butter and add the tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, pressing down as they cook to release the juices. Take the pan off the heat and using a slotted spoon, take the tomatoes out of the tin and put onto a plate.
Now put the pan back on the heat, and add the honey and Balsamic vinegar. Simmer for a couple of minutes which will allow the liquid to reduce slightly and thicken and then remove the pan from the heat.
Allow to cool slightly and then carefully arrange the tomatoes in the tin in one even layer with no gaps. Leave any juices behind on the plate. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. You could also use grated parmesan.
Take the pastry circle out of the fridge and carefully place it on top of the tomatoes, tucking it in all around the edge.
Prick the top of the pastry a few times (to let any steam out) and place it in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the pastry and turning it out onto your serving plate.
The easiest way to do this is to invert your plate on top of the tin and turn the whole thing upside down. Oven gloves recommended as the tin will still be hot.
Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve warm.
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