Talk about gorgeous. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d see upon entering a European cafe (and an Italian one, specifically)… THIS. With it’s rustic symmetry, this Tomato-Fontina Torte with Rosemary Crust is incredibly impressive, but that isn’t it’s only virtue – it is seriously flavorful and worth every dollar and minute you invest in it. The texture of the crust is just perfect and delicately flavored, yet sturdy enough to support 3 pounds of tomatoes, 13 ounces of cheese and one-third pound of ham. The marriage of sweet (the crust is slightly sweet, as are the tomatoes after they bake) and savory here is really delightful. We totally felt like a couple of Italian grandmas in a Tuscan countryside villa as we made this dish, layer by beautiful layer. The next time you are willing to give some weekend time over for a relaxing couple of hours to create a masterpiece, this is your recipe.
Tip (unsponsored): We suggest making the crust the night before, just to have one step out of the way come prep time. This recipe calls for capicola ham, which we usually find at our Trader Joe’s, but feel free to use your favorite kind of ham. *If you use salame, you may not need as much as it tends to be more salty. We find that Trader Joe’s has good prices on cheese as well, and that’s where we find our fontina. Also, this recipe calls for allowing 1 hour to cool. We highly suggest adhering to this as the torte needs this much time to reabsorb the juices of the tomatoes without becoming a soggy mess when cutting into it.
Have your kids help you press the dough into the springform pan and sprinkle ingredients for each layer of the torte. As you prepare and enjoy this torte with those you love, teach them a few things about these ingredients:
- Tomatoes, eaten fresh, have tons of vitamin C, which helps your skin look good.
- Olive oil is super high in antioxidants, which helps keep your body “clean” from harmful toxins.
- Rosemary can help blood flow to your brain, which may help you concentrate.
Since we mentioned Tuscany, let’s learn a few things about it:
- You have to pay to get into most beaches in Tuscany.
- Tuscany is home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, among a few other towers that lean.
- Many movies have been filmed in Tuscany due to it’s beautiful countryside.
From: Tomato-Fontina Torte with Rosemary Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
- 2½ to 3 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes
- 3 cups shredded fontina cheese (about 12 ounces)
- ½ cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
- (about 1 ounce)
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ pound thinly sliced capicola ham, cut into strips
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Combine the flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon rosemary, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a food processor and pulse until just combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
- Whisk the eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the eggs to the food processor and process until the dough just gathers into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until soft and pliable. Press the dough into the bottom and about halfway up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Cover and refrigerate the crust until very cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Slice the tomatoes and spread them out on 2 baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside until they release some of their juices, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the fontina and all but 1 tablespoon of the pecorino in a bowl; add the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pat the tomatoes gently with paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon panko in the crust, then top with one-third of the tomatoes. Scatter half of the ham over the tomatoes, then half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons panko, another one-third of the tomatoes and the remaining ham and cheese. Top with a final layer of tomatoes and sprinkle with the reserved 1 tablespoon pecorino; drizzle with the olive oil.
- Transfer the pan to a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool about 1 hour, then remove the springform ring.
