FREE-FORM TOMATO TART

This tart is a showcase for the best of the summer’s tomatoes. Use as many different varieties as you can find. Basil is a natural partner, but any soft herb will work.

Serves 6-8

For the flaky pastry

125g strong white bread flour

125g plain flour

A good pinch of salt

250g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes and chilled

125ml ice-cold water, plus extra if needed

1tsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

For the topping

100g feta

1 egg

1 garlic clove, crushed Freshly ground black pepper

1tbsp whole milk, for glazing

1tsp dried oregano 500g mixed tomatoes, tops trimmed and thinly sliced horizontally

2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve 100g pitted olives, roughly chopped

A small handful of basil leaves

MAKE THE PASTRY Youcan do this a day in advance, if you wish. Combine both flours and the salt in a bowl. Add the butter and cut it into the flour using a knife until the pieces are half their original size. Sprinkle the water and vinegar or lemon juice over the mixture and use the knife to combine, adding more water to bring the dough together, if needed. You should have large pieces of butter still visible. Gather the pastry into a ball, flatten into a disc, then roll it out lengthways, using a tapping motion, into a rectangle of 45 x 15cm.

Lightly flour the top of the dough and fold the bottom third up onto the middle third, then the top third down to cover to make a neat, threelayered pastry square. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough again to a neat 45 x 15cm rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down, as before.

Turn the square 90 degrees and repeat this rolling and folding one more time. Cover the pastry and chill for at least a further hour before using.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle measuring about

35 x 25cm, and trim to neaten.

Carefully lift the pastry onto the lined baking sheet and, using a knife, ‘knock up’ the sides of the pastry to create a 1-2cm raised lip all around. Chill the pastry again for 30 minutes while you prepare the topping.

Heat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas 6 and place the other baking sheet on the middle shelf.

MAKE THE TOPPING

Crumble the feta into a food processor, add the egg and garlic and blitz until smooth. Season with pepper. Spread the feta mixture onto the pastry, leaving a border. Brush the border with milk to glaze. Sprinkle the oregano over the feta and arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.

BAKEANDFINISH Drizzle with olive oil, season, and transfer to the hot baking sheet to bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden and the tomatoes start to caramelise at the edges. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, then drizzle with more olive oil and scatter with olives and basil leaves to finish.