Tart with confit tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 10 large vine tomatoes
• 10 thyme sprigs or more
• olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes, approx. 400 g each
• 1 chili pepper(s), optional
• salt and pepper
• 250 g puff pastry
• some fat for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 45 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 15 minutes

Confit the vine tomatoes. To do this, preheat the oven to 100°C (top/bottom heat). Cut the vine tomatoes into approximately 1 cm thick slices, starting from the bottom, leaving the stem intact, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat. Sprinkle the tomatoes with some of the thyme leaves, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in the oven for approximately 3–3.5 hours. Turn the tomatoes over after approximately 1.5 hours. They are ready when they have dried out and shriveled slightly. Add a little more time if necessary. Let the tomatoes cool on the baking sheet. For the sauce, peel and finely dice the onions and garlic. Sauté the diced tomatoes in a little olive oil. Add the canned tomatoes and season with the remaining thyme, the deseeded and finely chopped chili, if using, as well as salt and pepper. Let the sauce reduce well. This takes approximately 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Line a greased tart tin with the puff pastry, pulling up a small edge and pricking the pastry with a fork. Place a second tin on top. Bake the tart for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove the second baking sheet and let the pastry cool. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the pastry, top with the candied tomatoes, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the tart in the oven at about 100°C (top/bottom heat) for about 5-8 minutes before serving to warm it up. It tastes great with fresh salad. Tip: Since tomato sauce tastes better the second day than the first, I always prepare the tart the day before.