Mmm…nothing like the tartness of pickled cherry tomatoes, with their extra zing, paired with a soft and sweet chevre! I was hunting around the kitchen for a snack last night, and was so happy to remember the jars of pickled cherry tomatoes I made earlier this fall. Made some toast, spread some goat cheese crumbles on it, and squished a bunch of the little tomatoes on there. Exactly what I was craving…but then I couldn’t stop thinking about making tarts with them. If you give a mouse a cookie…he’ll want a tart next.
So today, I made another batch of gluten-free tart dough: amaranth, sweet rice, and quinoa flours, from La Tartine Gourmande. I recently made the mushroom & potato tartlets from the book with the same crust, which I posted about here, thus starting a tart-making marathon for I’m sure the next few weeks, months, who knows.
In any case, now that I’ve made these, I’m wishing I made countless jars of pickled cherry tomatoes when I still had time! I pickled the tomatoes following the recipe in The Preservation Kitchen, which I highly recommend for canning tips and recipes, rather than researching online. This tart highlights a super seasonal ingredient, and unfortunately good, local cherry tomatoes are non-existent this time of year. However, you may have some luck at a local market that sells pickled items. This tart would be equally delicious, yet much more earthy and sweet, with pickled beets in place of the tomatoes. Hmmm…and that will have to be my next experiment! I used the same crust as the mushroom & potato tart, but here is the recipe for that in case you missed it:
You’ll want to make the dough for the crust with time for at least an hour for it to rest in the fridge. You could also make it the day before.
Sweet rice, quinoa, and amaranth tart crust
- 1/2 cup (80g; 2 3/4 oz) sweet rice flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g; 2 oz) quinoa flour
- 1/2 cup (70 g; 2 1/2 oz) amaranth flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 7 tablespoons (100 g; 3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 1 small egg
- 4 tablespoons cold (ice) water, or more if needed
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, xantham gum, and sea salt. (You can use a stand mixer or beater if you have it, but I actually just used my hands.) Add the butter and mix on medium speed until crumbles form. Add the egg; mix again. Gradually add the water, a tablespoon at a time, and continue mixing until the dough detaches from the bowl and forms a ball. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before using. If you refrigerate it overnight, take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before using.
Roll and cut the dough to fit inside the tart molds. Arrange the dough inside each mold and using a fork, make small holes at the bottom. Prebake for 10 minutes at 350F: to do this, cover the dough with parchment paper, and top it with pie weights or something that will weigh it down, like dry rice or beans. Once you’re done prebaking, remove the weights, rice, etc and parchment paper.
Pickled cherry tomato & goat cheese tartlets
- Sweet rice, quinoa, and amaranth crust
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 small leek, white part only, diced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 red or white onion, chopped
- a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 small eggs
- 4 tablespoons goat’s milk, creme fraiche, or heavy cream
- Goat cheese (chevre) crumbles, to taste
- Sea salt & pepper
Heat the butter over medium heat in a frying pan, then add the leek, shallot, and onion with a pinch of sea salt to saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring, but not browning. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a few more minutes, until translucent, but not browning or caramelizing. Transfer to a bowl and mix with half of the chopped parsley.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the goat’s milk, creme fraiche or heavy cream. Add salt, pepper, and the remaining parsley.
Divide the egg batter among each mini-tart, place onion mixture on top, and bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and top with the tomatoes and cheese, then bake for another 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! 
All things considered yummy 
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