Food: Lane County Farmers Market + A Tomato Tart

Print by Katie Daisy via Etsy

I'd never been to the Lane County Farmers Market in Eugene before. I used to go weekly to Bend's farmers market when we lived there two years ago, especially during heirloom tomato season. Now that I've been in Eugene for a year, I think it's time to embrace it more. So I go to the Lane County Farmers Market downtown at 8th Ave and Oak at 10 am on Tuesday, which is the best time to go. By 10:45 the place was getting pretty busy, but at 10 you can have your pick of the fresh produce bounty at the market.

Heirloom tomatoes, back in season.

Ombre heirlooms. Edible art.

Groundwork Organics farm from Junction City.

Oooh, look at that garlic.

Pickling cucumbers in the top right corner. I'll be coming back for you soon!

Cutest stand at the market on the back of this vintage truck. 

Sadly they were relegated to a low traffic corner. 

Love their display.

 Carrots, cilantro and garlic, oh my.

Class debriefing at the Farmer's Market.

I walked around exploring, but when I saw my beloved heirloom tomatoes, it was a done deal. I knew I'd be purchasing some. I had just made an heirloom tomato, onion and goat cheese puff pastry tart the night before, but there was yet another tomato tart I wanted to make with pate brisee (aka pie crust), garlic and fontina cheese. Someone from my class said they didn't know tarts weren't just for dessert. Savory tarts all the way I say.

I ended up finding this giant heirloom that was red on the bottom and yellow on the rest of it. Heirlooms are bumpy, lumpy tomatoes. That's part of their charm. There are so many varieties of heirlooms with really great, odd names - green zebra, early girl, lemon boy, cherokee purple, hillbilly, lithium sunset, jazz, great white, pink brandywine are a few. My big boy that I've taken a fancy to is a Marvel Stripe.

Why hello, you gorgeous tomato you.

Heirloom season varies from region to region. Here in the Valley, it spans from mid-July through September, possibly early October if the weather stays warm. Enjoy them as much as you can during this time.

When purchasing a tomato at a farmer's market (please don't buy them at Safeway, just don't), you want to feel for some firmness, and you must smell them. A vine-ripened tomato should have a ripe, earthy aroma to it where the stem was. That smell instantly takes me back to my grandmother's garden in Denver, Colorado where she grew huge tomatoes and I would hang out among the vines, just taking in the scents of dirt and vines and tomatoes. Heavenly.

You're a big boy - 1.68 pounds of heirloom goodness.

I grab some freshy fresh organic garlic with nice big cloves, and weigh my giant tomato. 1.68 pounds of heirloom goodness. It should cost me $7.95. I ask what they can do for me, and they say they'll sell it to me for $7. Deal.

On to the recipe. It's gourmet, but do-able. My first time making this two years ago, it turned out perfectly. Some people claim they can't cook because their kitchen is too small. These people need to stop whining. I have a cutting board's space worth of counter space in my kitchen, and I can make a meal like this. You can too.

I like to watch cooking shows while I'm cooking - especially Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa. 

Tomato Tart Recipe - adapted by yours truly from a Martha Stewart recipe
1 head garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 recipe Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)
3 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
3 ounces fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Fresh basil, julienned
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. First you have to make your 1/2 recipe of Pate Brisse dough. Then you need to let it chill in the refridgerator for at least 1 hour. So start this part early or even the day before.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees.

4. When garlic is cool enough to handle, using either your hands or the dull end of a large knife, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard the papery skins.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 12 inches in diameter. With a dry pastry brush, brush off the excess flour; roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges; transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.

6. Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. 

Then sprinkle with half of the cheeses.

7. Prep your tomatoes - First you'll need to core the tomato(es). 

Then you'll need to slice 1/4 inch thick slices.

Slicing tomatoes is a breeze with my mandoline. Every kitchen needs a mandoline. 

Perfect uniform slices every time.

8. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. 

9. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.

10. While your tart is cooling, you can julienne your basil.

To julienne means to cut into long, thin strips. To do this with basil, take your washed and patted dry basil leaves, stack them from biggest to smallest, and roll them up like a cigar. Holding the basil together tightly with one hand, slice thin slices with the other hand.

11. Sprinkle with basil.

Serve warm, and enjoy.

I hadn't made this meal in two years(!) which is a travesty. Like Martha said above, this is such an amazing way to show off the garden's bounty. Her recipe says it serves 8 which maybe it could if 8 people are having it as an appetizer. It makes a great entree for two hungry adults, and maybe you'll have left overs. We did not. Can't wait to keep buying heirlooms weekly until the season ends in late September!

Lane County Farmers Market, 8th and Oak, Eugene, OR; (541) 431-4923

Open Tuesday from 10-3 and Saturday from 9-3; All vendors accept cash, some accept cards

www.lanecountyfarmersmarket.org