Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 banana shallots
• chopped
• 1 large garlic clove
• crushed
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 5 really ripe tomatoes
• halved
• 2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
• 8 plum tomatoes
• thickly sliced
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten with a pinch of salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
• small bunch fresh basil
• leaves picked
• stalks reserved
• small bunch fresh tarragon
• leaves picked
• stalks reserved
• 2 handfuls fresh watercress
• leaves picked
• salt and black pepper
• 200g/7oz pitted Kalamata olives
• 3 tbsp capers
• rinsed
• 15g/½oz anchovies in oil (drained weight)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley
• 25ml/1oz brandy
• salt and black pepper
• drizzle of olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• For the relish
• heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the shallot and garlic. Season with black pepper
• salt and ground cumin. Add the white wine vinegar and simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced a little. Add the tomatoes
• cover with a lid and simmer for 45-50 minutes
• or until you have a thick relish consistency.
• For the tart
• line a flat baking sheet with baking parchment.
• Cut out four 16cm/6¼in rounds from the puff pastry sheets (use a 1 litre/1¾ pint pudding bowl as a guide). Mark a 15mm/¾in border in the pastry circles (use a 500ml/18fl oz bowl as a guide). Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet and prick the centres with a fork.
• Spoon some of the cooked relish into the centre of the pastry circles. Arrange the slices of plum tomato on top and brush the border with beaten egg - making sure you don’t brush the cut edge as this will prevent the pastry rising. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
• until the pastry is risen and golden-brown.
• Meanwhile make the herb oil. In a pan
• gently heat the garlic in the olive oil with the basil stalks and tarragon stalks. Remove from the heat after 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
• Place a small handful of the basil leaves
• tarragon leaves and watercress leaves in a small food processor (reserve the rest for the salad). Pour over some boiling water to wilt the leaves. Drain the water from the food processor and blend the leaves to a paste. Pour in the herb-infused oil and blend again until smooth.
• Make a salad with the remaining watercress
• basil and tarragon leaves. Season with salt.
• To make the tapenade
• blend the olives
• capers
• anchovies
• parsley
• brandy and black pepper together in a small food processor. Loosen with a little olive oil and blend to make a paste.
• Serve the cooked tarts topped with a small quenelle of tapenade and some herb salad. Drizzle with the herb oil.