Epic roast tomato tart

"When I was growing up, my parents owned a coffee shop in Plett called Lavender and Limes, where my dad’s roast tomato tart was always the first thing to sell out. For the first time ever I persuaded him to part with the recipe, so I hope you enjoy it along with my other favourite ways to celebrate the season’s star ingredient!" – Hannah Lewry

1.  To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the cottage cheese, sour cream and thyme and combine to form a dough. If you feel you need to add 1 t sour cream, do so. Lightly knead but do not overwork. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and arrange in neat lines on a large tray. Do not overlap or overcrowd so they have sufficient space to roast and caramelise evenly.

3. Sprinkle over the sugar, salt and vinegar and add a light splash of olive oil, not too much. Roast for 1½–2 hours, or until caramelised but not soggy. Allow to rest while you roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5 mm.

4. Press the pastry into a greased 26 cm loose-bottomed fluted tart case. Cover with baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the baking paper and beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes, until almost cooked through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the Parmesan.

5. Arrange the roasted tomatoes neatly in layers in the tart, heat the onion marmalade slightly and dot around the tart. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Cook's note: This should become a Sunday lunch regular with a simple green salad and a few spoonfuls of soft goat’s cheese. The onion marmalade is my addition, but you could dollop over a soft cheese or basil pesto after baking instead.

Find more tomato recipes here. 

Photograph: Jan Ras
Food assistant: Claire-Ellen Van Rooyen