Tomato Crostata With Honey-Thyme Glaze
- Total Time
- 1 hour plus at least 2½ hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 125grams all-purpose flour (about 1 cup), more for rolling out dough
- 75grams fine cornmeal (about ½ cup)
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons), cut into small cubes
- 35grams grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about ½ cup)
- 1½pounds different-colored tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick (or halved if cherry or grape tomatoes)
- 1teaspoon kosher sea salt, plus a pinch
- 2tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1tablespoon honey
- ½bunch fresh thyme sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 3garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 65grams extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1large egg
- Flaky sea salt, like Maldon
For the Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
386 calories; 27 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 399 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Make the crust: In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour, cornmeal and salt. Add butter and cheese and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 6 tablespoons, pulsing occasionally until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Spread out tomato slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
- Step 3
In a skillet over medium heat, combine vinegar, honey and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer; let simmer 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Wipe out skillet, then add olive oil and garlic. Cook garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is golden and caramelized. Remove garlic and finely chop. Reserve garlic oil.
- Step 4
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Gently roll out dough to a ¼-inch thickness, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Transfer dough to baking sheet and return to fridge for another 20 minutes.
- Step 5
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat tomatoes dry with paper towels. Brush tomatoes with honey mixture (reserve the thyme sprigs). Leaving a 3-inch border, distribute cheese, garlic and half the chopped thyme leaves on center of crust. Add black pepper to taste, then layer tomatoes in an overlapping pattern, maintaining the 3-inch border. Drizzle garlic oil over tomatoes, sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves and lay the reserved whole thyme sprigs on top. Gently fold crust up around tomatoes, making a 2-inch border.
- Step 6
In a small bowl, whisk egg and 1 teaspoon water. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash over crust and sprinkle top of crostata with flaky salt. Bake for about 35 minutes, until pastry is deeply golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Deb Amlen
We asked Melissa Clark and here is her reply: "Oh definitely, any grating cheese will work - Gruyere or an aged goat cheese or smoked mozzarella..."
Barbara Wheeler
Why not roll the dough on parchment, then use it to transfer? I do that with fruit crostatas.
Ellen
I would give this ten stars if possible! I made this last night, following the recipe pretty closely. I used Gran Padano Italian cheese instead of cheddar. The dough is a little difficult to move once it is rolled out. I think I would use a touch more ice water. But, Oh My, this recipe is beyond fantastic! The crust was light and a little crunchy from the corn meal. The favors blended perfectly. I served it with a simple kale salad. This is a winner and definitely worth the effort!
Judy
I made this and it was delicious. I did find some minor problems with the recipe though. The pastry dough was too dry; I would add somewhat more water. The recipe should have explained that the dough was to be rolled out into a circle (not just too a thickness). I found much clearer directions on a blog: (http://saltedsugaredspiced.blogspot.com/2013/08/tomato-crostata-with-hon... that I will follow when I make this again. And I will make it again-it's yummy.
Happy Chef
Delicious! One suggestion - we found it better when you leave less than three inches around the edge - don't deprive yourself of those delicious tomatoes! Instead, lay them our closer to the edge and then fold the crust in so that part of it goes over the tomatoes like a galette.
Mary
This is absolutely delicious and was a big hit with my family. I had absolutely no trouble with the dough recipe as written - it came out tender and flaky. But I confess to mixing it by hand to avoid over processing (a risk with food processors!). I made a double recipe of the dough and made a second crostata for visitors the next day. It kept well overnight wrapped tightly in the fridge and took about 25 minutes before it came to "rolling" temperature the next day.
Lisa Z.
This is delicious. The soggy crust can be eliminated if you put enough cheese on the bottom of the tart (fat keeps liquids from soaking into crust). I was not sure about cheddar+tomato combo but it was subtle and tasty. I re-ground my Quaker yellow corn meal in magic bullet to make it more fine. Will definitely make again!
2moresheep
If you're not sure about tomatoes and cheddar, try a grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich.
Sally
LOVED this. I rolled the dough (used 5T water total) into a 12" circle on parchment, and then just transferred the parchment to the baking sheet. I used gruyere and loved it. Next time will try with 8T (1 stick) butter.
Jude
This was really wonderful. I made it just as written, using the last of the tomatoes from my garden. There are quite a few steps, but they are short and very much worth it, leaving you with layers of flavor.
Susan
This was excellent and worth the effort. Made sure to have plenty of cheese on the bottom, no soggy crust. Used 8 tbsp butter, was plenty.
Tina
This recipe was a hit!
I did not have a problem with the crust becoming soggy because I put a good layer of cheese down, and also kept the dough thickness at a true 1/4".
Also, when it came time to add the garlic oil I did not add all of it, just drizzled a small amount.
When I was ready to serve, I brushed the tomatoes again with the honey-thyme mixture.
Lrmiles
I'm a huge gardener and I'm always looking for different ways to prepare veggies. This is one of the best tomato recipes ever. I used gluten free flour with the corn meal and used some really nice cheeses (a different one in the crust than in the center). I also used fresh picked tomatoes and thyme from my garden. My husband nearly ate all of it before I had a taste.
Vicky Church
This was amazing! Made it with gruyere, which I will do next time too. I might also double the honey vinegar glaze, since I didn't have that and the flavor juxtaposition with the roasted garlic was to die for...
Molly
The tomato part is wonderful. The crust is a little too rich for my taste. I would make it again with a less buttery/cheesy crust.
Annie M.
Could not find fine ground cornmeal. Someone mentioned using a magic bullet on a courser grind - would this change the amount required?
Vanessa
I have made this following the directions exactly a few times before and have absolutely loved it! We are hosting a party tomorrow and I just made some of the pastry to refrigerate overnight, realizing too late that I accidentally put 65 grams of the cheddar in the pastry rather than the 35 grams called for. I would love input from any experienced baker. Have I ruined it? Will it be too greasy and not hold its proper shape when I bake it tomorrow? Any advice appreciated!
Alyssa
One small note, in case you're distracted like I was in the final steps. I believe we shouldn't fold the crust up like a tall side. It'll all collapse into a mess. Instead, I think the recipe intends to fold the crust over itself, creating a slightly raised lip. The flavors were beautiful - I just wished mine had turned out more elegantly!
Shaw Canale
Perfect recipe! I followed it to the letter. Used our cherry tomatoes and an egg from our chickens. Now I’m hunting for a sweet pastry with cornmeal to bake with Italian plums from our tree.
Robin
Made as directed. took several hours but the spectacular crostata was well worth the effort. Served drizzled with hot honey, Was even more delicious when we had a nibble later in the evening when it was at room temp. now to attempt to vegan-fy it!
Becky
I made this and it was very mediocre. I couldn’t believe how much time the prep took. I read what everyone said here about it, and was super excited about making it. I can only say I must have screwed it up somehow, but it took so long to make I dare not attempt it again. Good luck out there fellow cooks!
George & Rebecca
Added another Tablespoon of water to the crust.
Philip E.
The prep and cook time for this are utterly in accurate. 2 hours to chill the crust, 1 to 3 hours to roast the tomatoes. Needs an update.
KateB
Made with 8 T butter instead of 10, otherwise no changes. Definitely hard to roll out the dough, might add a tad more water next time. Delicious and very pretty — a potluck winner!
Rene
This is the best tomato crostata I've tried, love the crust. No adjustments made.
Keith
Another well-over-the-high-bar recipe from Melissa Clark. Fresh tomatoes picked this morning from the garden were the star of the dish. Thank you!
Nicole
This is simply an amazing crostata recipe!thank you!! I used Heirloom tomatoes and followed the recipe as is - rolled the dough on a parchment paper - the crust was just perfect!
Lisa
I'm surprised this recipe gets so many stars. I made it exactly as written and found it a little bland, and just OK. Definitely not worth the effort involved in assembling so many finicky parts. I could not taste the honey and though I used sharp cheddar, the flavor was lost. Tomatoes were good, as was the crust (though I should have used a finer cornmeal). But next time I'll stick to my old standby -- regular pie dough, dijon mustard smeared on the bottom, tomatoes, basil and salt. Yum.
isa
This was so delicious! I used masa harina and added an extra tablespoon of water. The dough was very dry at first but came together with some kneading. I also only ended up using about 1lb of tomatoes.
karen koop
Great flavors! I used halved and salted cherry tomatoes (best choice in my area) To get rid of excess juices I lined a cookie sheet w paper towels and put the tomatoes on a rack inside of it. Placed another layer of towels on top and a cookie sheet on that. With that effort, the crust turned out very crisp! Thanks for parchment paper rollout suggestion! Was a breeze to do!
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