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Plum tomato tart with Parmesan biscuit, avocado and chorizo

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Tomatoes

  • 16 baby plum tomatoes
  • 250 g of salted butter
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 50 ml of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
  • 50 g of dark muscavado sugar

Parmesan biscuit

  • 250 g of strong bread flour
  • 100 g of grated Parmesan
  • 100 g of salted butter
  • 2 g of salt

Avocado emulsion

  • 1 avocado ripe
  • 3 egg yolks
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 300 ml of sunflower oil
  • salt

To serve

  • 1 bunch of fresh basil
  • 4 slices of chorizo
  • mixed salad leaves to garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.
  • For the Parmesan biscuit, mix together the flour, Parmesan and salt and rub in the butter to create a coarse crumble.
  • Pour the crumble across a baking tray and cook for 10–15 minutes until golden, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool
  • Meanwhile, lightly score a cross through the skin of each tomato and place in a bowl.
  • Cover with just enough boiling water to cover and leave for 30 seconds, then drain and cool the tomatoes under cold water. Peel off and discard the skins.
  • Place 8 of the tomatoes in a heavy-bottomed pan with the butter and thyme sprigs.
  • Gently melt the butter over a low heat and allow the tomatoes to confit slowly for 1 hour
  • Place the remaining 8 tomatoes in a vacuum bag with the vinegar and sugar and seal with a chamber sealer to compress. Set aside until ready to serve
  • Once the pastry crumble has cooled, transfer to a food processor and blend until the fat begins to separate out, making the crumbs sticky and glossy. Tip out onto a tray lined with baking paper and cover with a second sheet.
  • Roll out evenly to create a thin layer of dough and transfer the tray to the freezer for 1 hour to set
  • To make the avocado emulsion, remove the peel and stone and place the flesh in a blender with the egg yolks and lemon juice.
  • Blend briefly to combine as a smooth mixture then, keeping the machine slowly running, gradually pour in the sunflower oil until the mixture emulsifies
  • Adjust the seasoning to taste, then pass through a fine sieve to ensure the emulsion is completely smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
  • Drain the confit tomatoes from the butter and the compressed tomatoes from the vacuum bag. Remove the Parmesan dough sheet from the freezer and use a 6cm pastry cutter to stamp out biscuit discs
  • To assemble the tarts, place a Parmesan biscuit on each plate and stand 2 compressed tomatoes and 2 confit tomatoes on top.
  • Pipe over a little of the avocado emulsion and some shredded fresh basil.
  • Gently warm the chorizo slices in a frying pan over a medium heat and lie across the top of the tarts, garnishing the plates with a few salad leaves to serve.