French Tomato Pie, Goat Cheese, and Imperial IPA Beer Jelly
This is a classic in French cuisine - mustard, tomatoes, and cheese layered on a flaky pie crust. This was my first recipe published last year on my blog: Alchimie et gourmandise. We love this pie - we call it the French pizza. This summer I wanted to revisit this classic, to give it "un je ne sais quoi...".
As I am working with local craft beer, my idea was to add some Imperial IPA beer jelly to the mustard, but also to pair this aromatic beer jelly with goat cheese. - a must-try. I hope you enjoy this french pie with a Canadian twist as much we did!
Pie crust recipe
Ingredients
250 grams all-purpose organic unbleached flour
125 grams of butter, cubed and very cold
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
75 ml very cold water, plus more is needed
Directions
Whisk the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture, and cut it using a pastry cutter (rubbing it in with your fingertips also works in a pinch). Keep working the butter into the dough until it’s in coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.
Scrape off any residual butter-flour mixture from the pastry cutter, and drizzle in the water.
Gently work the water into the dough with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until it becomes shaggy, but a relatively cohesive mass. Give the dough a few kneads with your hands (fewer than 10) so that it forms a rough ball.
Try to do. these steps as fast as you can. This is one of the secrets for a flaky crust.
Wrap the ball in plastic wrap, and chill for at minimum one hour or overnight. This allows the water to fully hydrate the dough, making for a more cohesive product that’s easier to roll out.
The tomato mustard French pie
Ingredients
100 g of mustard
I normally use a combination (50/50) of artisan whole-grain mustard (not sweet at all) and Maille Dijon Originale mustard. French mustard like Maille is the best choice because it is not sweet and it will pair perfectly with the Imperial IPA beer jelly.
1 tablespoon + 4 to 5 teaspoons Imperial IPA beer jelly
3 large or 5 medium ripe heirloom tomatoes (like candy’s old yellow, green zebra, cavern…)
5 to 6 round slices of goat cheese - 250 g (8 ounces) (like The Tournevent, la fromagerie Hamel, Quebec)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh herbs of Provence (a combination of parsley, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, or oregano)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Fit the pie crust into an 11-inch pie dish (or smaller size like a 9-inch). With a fork, poke holes into the bottom of the crust.
Precook the crust for 7 to 10 min. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into slices 3-5 mm thick. Lay the slices on paper towels to remove excess water content in tomatoes if needed.
Remove the crust from the oven.
Mix together the two kinds of mustard with one tablespoon of Imperial IPA beer jelly. Spread it over the bottom of the pie crust in an even layer. Cover the mustard with slices of tomato, overlapping in a spiral from the edge to the center. They will slightly shrink while cooking. Then don’t be afraid to put two layers of tomatoes.
Arrange the slices of goat cheese on top, and add a teaspoon of Imperial IPA beer jelly on each disk of goat cheese. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle the tart with the herbs of Provence.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 450 degrees F, or until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn’t brown as much as you’d like it to, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it’s just right.
Remove from the oven, and let it rest for 15 min.
Enjoy!
This Beer Jelly carries notable soft malty characteristics enhanced with zesty citrus and tropical fruit aromas like mango and a subtle bitterness finish.
Perfect on your toast, French baguette, or your favourite scones. A great pairing with aged goat’s milk cheese like Tomme and Gouda, cheddar and cheddar-style cheese, mild blue cheese, spiced cheese, or salty cheese like feta. Think French salad dressing with grainy Dijon mustard, grilled cheese, baked salmon with ginger, and tomato pie with goat cheese.
Vegan and low sugar (containing 1.4 grams sugar per tsp)
Contains Gluten & Sulphite
May contain other food allergens and traces of alcohol
Refrigerate after opening