Heritage Tomato Tarte Fine with Basil Sorbet

⏱ 90 min · Serves 4

Paper-thin, shatteringly crisp puff pastry under a mosaic of sun-ripened heritage tomatoes, glossed with tomato-basil glaze and crowned with a scoop of vivid, ice-cold basil sorbet. Hot and cold, sweet and savoury — a proper restaurant plate you can absolutely pull off at home.

Per serving: 585 kcal · 10.5g protein · 66.0g carbs · 31.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the basil sorbet:
• 60g basil leaves (large stalks removed)
• 150g caster sugar
• 250ml water
• 1 tbsp liquid glucose or honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of fine salt
• Bowl of iced water for shocking
• For the tarte fine:
• 320g all-butter puff pastry (ready-rolled)
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp milk
• 500g mixed heritage tomatoes, various colours
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 30g finely grated Parmesan (or vegetarian hard cheese)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp aged balsamic or sherry vinegar
• Black pepper
• To finish:
• Small basil leaves
• Flaky salt and good olive oil

Method

1. Make the sorbet first. Bring the water, sugar and glucose to a simmer, stir to dissolve, then cool completely (speed this up over an ice bath).
2. Blanch the basil in boiling water for 15 seconds, then plunge straight into iced water. Squeeze out hard and pat dry — this locks in the green colour.
3. Blitz the basil with the cold syrup, lemon juice and salt for a full minute until vivid green. Strain through a fine sieve, then churn in an ice cream machine and freeze, or freeze in a shallow tray, forking through every 30 minutes for 3 hours.
4. Slice the tomatoes 3–4mm thick, lay on kitchen paper, scatter with 1 tsp flaky salt and leave 20 minutes to draw out water. Pat the tops dry.
5. Heat the oven to 200C fan. Cut the pastry into four 12cm discs (or one large rectangle). Place on a lined baking sheet, prick all over with a fork leaving a 1cm border, and chill 15 minutes.
6. Brush the borders with egg wash. Lay a second lined tray plus a light baking sheet on top to weigh the pastry down, and bake 15 minutes. Remove the top tray and bake 5 minutes more until deep golden and crisp. Cool.
7. Whisk the Dijon, olive oil, sugar, garlic, vinegar and pepper into a glaze. Brush a thin layer of mustard glaze over each base and dust with Parmesan.
8. Arrange the tomato slices in overlapping concentric circles, alternating colours. Brush generously with the remaining glaze.
9. Return to the oven for 8–10 minutes, just to warm the tomatoes and re-crisp the base — you want them barely softened, not collapsed.
10. Slide each tart onto a plate, finish with basil leaves, flaky salt and a drizzle of oil. Add a quenelle of basil sorbet to the side (on a small spoonful of crushed pastry crumbs so it doesn't slide) and serve immediately.