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The caramelized shallot and tomato tart is a comforting dish that perfectly blends sweet and savory flavors. The recipe comes from Saskia Sidey’s cookbook Broke Vegan and is a fantastic crowd pleaser. Rich, caramelized shallots bring a deep, sticky sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the tangy, confit tomatoes. The flaky vegan puff pastry adds a light, crispy texture, making each bite satisfying. This tart is not only delicious but also fits perfectly into a plant-based diet, showing how vegan recipes can be both indulgent and flavorful.
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This tart is versatile and sure to impress friends at any gathering. The combination of caramelized shallots and tomatoes creates a dish that’s both elegant and warming. It’s ideal for a picnic or a casual lunch. Adding capers, lemon zest, and fresh basil brightens the flavors, bringing a burst of freshness to every bite. Despite being vegan, this tart has the richness you’d expect from a traditional recipe, proving that plant-based cooking can be both satisfying and sophisticated.
Whether hosting a dinner party or preparing a quick dish for a picnic, this tart is a recipe to keep on hand. Tomato confit takes some time, but the result is worth the effort. Learning how to confit your own tomatoes is also a great skill that pays off in the future. Having delicious, garlic-infused tomatoes suspended in a tasty oil that’s great to cook with seems worth a bit of extra time cooking and sterilizing jars.
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Caramelized shallot and tomato tart
Ingredients
For the confit tomatoes
- 750 grams tomatoes halved
- 1 garlic bulb halved
- A few sprigs of thyme, oregano, basil, or rosemary optional
- 350-500 ml olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
To make the tart
- 1 quantity confit tomatoes
- 6 shallots finely sliced
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 200 grams (7 oz) block vegan puff pastry
- 1 tbsp dairy-free milk optional
- 3 tbsp drained capers
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- Leaves from 3 basil sprigs
Instructions
For the confit tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 120°C.
- Put the tomatoes into a snug-fitting, deep baking tray, placing them cut side up. This stops the liquid from the tomatoes leaching into the oil.
- Add the halved garlic bulb, preferably placing it cut side down to infuse the oil. Season well and add the herbs, if using.
- Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes until it reaches halfway up the sides of the tray then pop them in the oven for 11/2 to 2 hours until the tomatoes have softened and shriveled up.
- Allow to cool. Meanwhile, sterilize a jar by cleaning it thoroughly in hot soapy water, then put it in a moderate oven preheated to 150°C for 10 minutes to dry. Decant the cooled tomatoes into the sterilized jar. They will keep well at room temperature for up to one month.
- For this recipe, add your cooled confit tomatoes to your pastry.
Make the tart
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark5. Place a baking sheet or large baking tray in the oven to heat up.
- Use 3 tablespoons of the oil from the confit tomatoes to fry the shallots in a large frying pan over a medium heat for10 minutes until softened. Add the sugar and red wine vinegar and cook for a further 10 minutes until sticky and caramelized.
- Roll the puff pastry out into a rectangle on a large sheet of nonstick baking paper and score a smaller rectangle 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the edge. Prick the inner rectangle with a fork, then cover with a layer of caramelized shallots.
- Top evenly with the drained confit tomatoes. Brush the exposed edges of the pastry with the milk, if you like, slide the tart on its paper onto the preheated baking sheet or tray and bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
- Sprinkle the tart with the capers, lemon zest and basil leaves to serve.
This recipe comes from the cookbook Broke Vegan by Saskia Sidey and is published by Hamlyn, £12.99 (www.octopusbooks.co.uk).
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