Recipe: Tomato and Olive Tarte Tatin

Words by Shelley Adams.

My son, Conner, was home for the first four and a half months of the pandemic and he cooked us so many delicious things! One day he said, “I have a little tomato treat for you guys before dinner tonight.” It was the most beautiful and delicious tomato and olive tarte made with flaky puff pastry in the tatin style. We loved it, and you will too. 

Ingredients

1 14-oz package puff pastry 

2 tbsp unsalted butter 

3 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced 

¼ cup plus 1 pinch sugar, divided 

1 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar 

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, whole 

3 cups red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes 

1 tbsp fresh thyme or oregano leaves, plus sprigs for garnish 

Salt and pepper to taste 

½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Make It

Preheat oven to 425°F. Thaw pastry until still cold, but not frozen. (You can take it out of the freezer the day before and leave in the fridge.) 

Unfold pastry and roll into a 10-inch round, using the pan you will bake the tarte in as a template. Place in fridge until ready to use. 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and pinch of sugar and cook, stirring until onions are golden and caramelized (about 15 to 20 minutes). Add 2 tbsp water and let it cook down, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. 

Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside. Combine ¼ cup sugar and 3 tbsp water in an ovenproof 9-inch skillet or cast-iron pan. Cook over medium heat, swirling gently but not stirring, until sugar melts and turns amber in colour and smells caramelized (5 to 10 minutes). 

Add vinegar, being mindful of splattering, and swirl gently. Turn off heat. Arrange olives over the caramel, then top with the tomatoes and onions. 

Sprinkle with thyme or oregano leaves and season with salt and pepper. 

Top with the chilled puff pastry round, tucking the edges down inside the pan. Cut several long slits in the top of the pastry, then bake until crust is puffed and golden (about 30 minutes). 

Let tarte rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the pastry edge to loosen it from the pan. Invert tarte onto a wire rack and let rest for 5 to 10 more minutes before scattering goat cheese on top and serving on your prettiest platter. Slice and devour! Serves 4.

MORE FROM WHITEWATER COOKS: Braised Moroccan-Style GarlickyShort Ribs

Excerpted from Whitewater Cooks: Together Again by Shelley Adams. Copyright © 2021. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Originally published March 2022