Tomato and Smoked Gubbeen Tart

Recipe by: Eunice Power

This tart reminds me of one I had in France years ago when I was on an exchange. The Dijon mustard on the base lends a wonderful piquancy to the tart, similar to a French peasant tart, the smoked Gubbeen giving an additional depth of flavour.

Tomato and Smoked Gubbeen Tart

SERVES

6

PEOPLE

Ingredients

  • For the pastry

  • 200g plain flour

  • 100g butter, very cold, cut into cubes

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • A pinch of salt

  • For the filling

  • 25g butter

  • 1 onion, finely sliced

  • 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • A small bunch of basil, sliced

  • A small bunch of flat parsley, chopped

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 egg yolks

  • 250g cream

  • 100g smoked Gubbeen, grated

  • 50g parmesan, grated

  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (if you don’t have Dijon to hand you can swap with a wholegrain mustard)

Method

  1. Blitz the flour and cold butter together in a food processor with a pinch of salt, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

  2. Add the beaten egg and pulse until the dough just comes together.

  3. Turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface, knead briefly, then bring it together into a ball. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

  4. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a nine-inch tart tin. Chill again for 15 to 20 minutes.

  5. Bake the pastry case blind: line it with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the base is pale gold and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool slightly.

  6. Melt the butter in a pan and caramelise the onion very slowly over a low heat until deep golden and soft.

  7. Add the tomatoes and cook down gently over a low, slow heat until softened.

  8. Spread the Dijon mustard over the base of the blind-baked tart case, then spread the tomato and onion mixture on top.

  9. Mix the eggs, egg yolks, cream, Gubbeen, parmesan, basil and parsley together, and pour over the tomato and onion base.

  10. Bake at 160°C for about 30 minutes, keeping an eye on it up to 35 minutes, until the filling is just firm with a slight wobble in the centre.

  11. For a few weeks, I briefly forgot I was living in my familiar surroundings, and felt instead like I was in a sun-soaked stretch of the Riviera. Now, suddenly, we’re back down to reality again.

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