Use all those tiny tomatoes in a savory summer tart

These hot temperatures have me craving really light fare. I almost don’t want to eat, which is saying a lot because I’m always hungry. That used to be something a high school friend, John, teased me about constantly.

We’re over abundant with beautiful little cherry tomatoes from Randy’s garden. I pop them like candy because they’re so sweet, but even I can’t keep up. I’ve made pico de gallo, topped so many salads and am still brainstorming what to do with them.

I remembered back to a class Tanya Tandoc taught at my house seven years ago about this time called Tapas and Summer Soups. It made me smile thinking of her fun, eccentric ways as she captivated the attendees the way only she could. And of course, it made my heart hurt, too, for a beautiful life taken entirely too soon. But what better way to keep her memory alive than to keep cooking and sharing her beautiful food? We can all do this by frequenting Tanya’s Soup Kitchen at 1725 E. Douglas and by bringing a bit of Tanya into our kitchens by whipping up this very simple Provencal Tomato Chevre Tart.

I have an absolute love affair with puff pastry. It’s one of those up-your-sleeve ingredients that looks fancy but is insanely simple to use, and it can really elevate your dish. The crackling crunch but soft interior of the pastry is almost as good as a fresh croissant from a boulangerie in France.

Pepperidge Farm is the brand most commonly found in local grocery stores. The possibilities are endless as to what you can bake with puff pastry. Make individual tarts, cut it and make small croissant-like filled pastries with cheese and/or za’atar, make fruit tarts and top them with a bit of whipped cream, or use it on top of a pot pie. Back when we still had Fresh Market, they sold a beautiful frozen puffed pastry by the brand DuFour that was my favorite. You can find it online, if you’re up for ordering in the product.

Remember a couple of months back when I wrote about the invaluable spice shop I found in Oakland? My friend RoxAnn visited there during her travels a week ago. She was kind enough to pick up my “wish I would have purchased” list of breakfast sausage spice, harissa powder, chile limon and Moroccan-style fish tangine. She also surprised me with a few items she thought I needed – cured sumac and Better-Than-Everything bagel spice.

I’d never seen cured sumac before, only the dry kind. The cured is soft, the flavor is so bright and lemony, and the color looks like a deep ruby gemstone. I haven’t used it to cook with yet but can hardly wait to experiment with it. The bagel spice makes me think of the days I used to have lunch at the New York Bagel Shop where George’s French Bistro is now. Pizza Bagel on an Everything Bagel, please. I’m sure my classmates after lunch really appreciated my garlic breath.

Those lovely blackberries I wrote about last week filled a full-sized pie for a friend’s birthday dinner by the pool. The pie was well-received, the company even better, and Randy’s “OPA” moment of dropping the Matua Pinot Noir Rose was a moment to be remembered. He might be embarrassed I mentioned that, so don’t comment to him if you see him. I’m told it’s a delightfully0 dry, slightly fruity rose, similar to a French rose – which I adore. Jury is still out, but I’ll report back after I crack a bottle sometime this week.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Use all those tiny tomatoes in a savory summer tart."