A French affair with fresh tomatoes - recipes with tomatoes

Sunset, August, 1999 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

Pick them ripe and full of color, then dress them with flavor

In the hands of Nicole Perzik, tomatoes speak with a French accent. Perzik, born in France, works the magic of her heritage on vine-ripened summer beauties from neighborhood Santa Monica and Westwood farmers' markets. Big, meaty, juicy beefsteak tomato types make a handsome, savory first-course or main-dish tart. Hollowed out, they load up with turkey filling to bake. Even petite tomatoes perform well. Some sizzle with a basil-crumb topping, others go into a casserole or get wrapped into an omelet. These dishes may not improve your French, but they'll add a style to hot-weather menus.

French Tomato Tart

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

NOTES: Up to 1 day ahead, bake crust, cool, wrap airtight, and keep at room temperature.

MAKES: 6 or 7 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine

1 large egg

4 firm-ripe tomatoes (each 3 in. wide; about 1 1/2 lb. total), rinsed and cored

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups (1/2 lb.) shredded Swiss cheese

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram leaves or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 to 8 canned anchovy fillets, drained

6 to 8 nicoise or calamata olives, pitted

Salt and pepper

1. In a food processor or bowl, combine flour and butter. Whirl or rub with your fingers until fine crumbs form. Add egg and whirl or stir with a fork until dough holds together. Pat dough into a ball, then press evenly over bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable rim.

2. Bake in a 325 [degrees] oven until crust is pale gold, about 30 minutes (about 25 minutes in a convection oven).

3. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out seeds. Cut tomatoes crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices, and lay on towels to drain. Save ends.

4. Remove baked crust from oven and turn oven to 400 [degrees] . Spread mustard over bottom of crust, then sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups cheese. Fit largest tomato slices snugly in a single layer on cheese. Cut remaining tomato slices into pieces to fill the gaps; reserve extra tomato pieces for other uses.

5. In a small bowl, mix oil to blend with tomato paste, shallots, garlic, thyme, marjoram, and oregano. Spread over tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Arrange anchovies and olives on tomatoes.

6. Bake in a 400 [degrees] oven until cheese is lightly browned, about 25 minutes (about 18 minutes in a convection oven). Remove pan rim. Cut the tart into wedges and serve hot or warm. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 441 cal., 61% (270 cal.) from fat; 15 g protein; 30 g fat (15 g sat.); 28 g carbo (2.3 g fiber); 531 mg sodium; 98 mg chol.

Tomato Omelets

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 20 minutes

NOTES: Garnish with cherry tomatoes.

MAKES: 2 servings

1 ripe tomato (1/2 lb.)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots

3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper

4 large eggs

1/4 cup fresh chevre (goat) cheese

2 teaspoons butter or margarine

1. Rinse tomato, core, cut in half crosswise, and squeeze out seeds. Chop tomato.

2. In an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and shallots. Stir often until shallots are limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato, 2 tablespoons chives, and basil; stir until tomato juices evaporate, 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

3. In a bowl, beat eggs to blend with i tablespoon water and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Also, break goat cheese into small pieces.

4. In a 6- to 7-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter. When sizzling, add 1/2 the egg mixture. As eggs firm on the bottom, lift with a spatula to let uncooked portion flow beneath. Shake pan often to keep eggs freely moving. When eggs are softly set, in 1 to 2 minutes, spoon half the tomato mixture and chevre down center of omelet, in line with pan handle.

5. To fold, tilt pan at about a 45 [degrees] angle parallel to filling. With spatula, fold about 1/3 of upper side of omelet down over the filling. Hold pan over plate and shake so unfolded edge slips.out onto it, then quickly flip pan over to fold omelet out onto dish. Keep warm and repeat to cook remaining omelet. Sprinkle omelets with remaining chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Per serving: 299 cal., 66% (198 cal.) from fat; 17 g protein; 22 g fat (8.6 g sat.); 8.2 g carbo (1.7 g fiber); 238 mg sodium; 443 mg chol.

Layered Tomato-Vegetable Casserole

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

NOTES: If assembling casserole up to 4 hours ahead, cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to bake.

MAKES: 8 servings

2 red onions (1 lb. total), peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 pounds firm-ripe red or yellow tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped