Recipe: Tomato Tart by Michel Roux Jr

This delicious recipe from The French Revolution is perfect for summer

Michel Roux Jr runs the renowned two-Michelin star restaurant Le Gavroche in London and has presented many popular food programmes on TV.

In The French Revolution, he revisits the classic dishes from his traditional French upbringing, but takes a modern approach that adapts his favourite recipes to suit home cooks who are looking for light, healthy and easy-to-make options.

About his tarte à la tomate, Michel says: “Delicious any time, this tart is a favourite of mine in the summer months.

“The richness of the pastry is offset by the light filling and the mustard adds extra flavour. Don’t be tempted to leave out the polenta – it soaks up any juices so keeps the pastry crisp.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

8-12 tomatoes (a mixture of colours is nice)

200g puff pastry

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp polenta

1 tbsp thyme leaves

About 1 tbsp good olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Slice the tomatoes 5mm thick and lay them out on a rack. Sprinkle a little salt over them and leave them for 20 minutes to render excess water. Pat the slices dry with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Roll out the puff pastry to fit a 26cm flan ring. Prick the pastry with a fork, then line it with greaseproof paper and fill it with baking beans.

Blind-bake the tart case for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the tart case from the oven. Leave the oven on.

Spread the mustard over the base of the tart, then sprinkle over the polenta. Arrange the tomato slices in the tart, then season with a little pepper and the thyme leaves.

Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm or cold.

The French Revolution: 140 Classic Recipes made Fresh and Simple by Michel Roux Jr (£25; The Orion Publishing Group).

orionbooks.co.uk

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