My local vegetable supplier, Thornage Hall, produces the most delicious tomatoes. Last year we had an abundance, so I took them home – I wanted to make a quick and easy family tea to have in the garden. In the height of summer, perfectly ripe tomatoes combined with fresh thyme and buttery puff pastry is, to me, the perfect combination of sweet, salty and rich flavours. It is my ultimate family favourite dish, because it is so simple to make – and my daughter loves it!
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1 pack of puff pastry
10 heritage tomatoes (various colours)
3 sprigs of thyme
Sea salt
White pepper
Olive oil
Salad leaves
Preheat the oven to 185C/365F/gas 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, unroll the pastry on to the tray and score with a sharp knife in a criss-cross, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, drop in your tomatoes and blanch them for 20 seconds or until the skin starts to peel, then put them in ice-cold water to cool.
Once cooled, peel the skin off the tomatoes and slice them about 1cm thick, then arrange them on the pastry within the border. Sprinkle the sprigs of thyme on top, season well with salt and pepper then brush lightly with olive oil.
Place the tray into the oven and bake your tart for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, slice your tart and serve with dressed salad leaves.
Richard Bainbridge is the chef proprietor of Benedicts, in Norwich
