Heirloom treasures

Lucy and Michael Tamayo of the Sonoma Latina Grill in Novato will honor the tomato's Latin American roots with a Fire-Roasted Heirloom Tomato Salsa on an Heirloom Corn Tortilla with Grilled Chicken.

Tomatoes play a key role in the Provence region of France, where brothers Marc and Alain Pisan of Chloe's French Cafe in Santa Rosa grew up. Their parents ran a patisserie in the resort town of Saint-Tropez.

This year, Chloe's will be playing up the sweeter side of the tomato by serving it in a streusel pastry with apricot jam, said chef Ren? Pisan, Alain's wife.

Right now, Chloe's is also serving a savory Tarte Rustique, made with heirloom tomatoes, piperade and goat cheese on its menu. You can also find a Market Salad made with heirloom tomatoes, fresh figs, St. George cheese and toasted pepitas.

Local tomato grower Dan Magnuson of Soda Rock Farms in Geyserville has won the winery's tomato contest so many times that he is only allowed to judge the contest now.

Magnuson, who grows six acres of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, has been in full harvest swing since mid-August.

"We're having a good year," he said. "It was a really good spring, and there were no really high temperatures (to burn the plants)."

When his tomatoes get overripe, Magnuson delivers them to restaurant chefs around the county, who turn the sweet orbs into tomato soup.

One of those chefs is Richard Whipple of The Brasserie at the Santa Rosa Hyatt Hotel, who makes a simple Oven-Roasted Tomato Soup.

"I'll throw my overripe tomatoes into the freezer, and then I'll make a soup out of that later on," he said. "You still have that fresh, summer flavor."

The following recipes are from Renee and Alain Pisan of Chloe's French Cafe in Santa Rosa. Mezzo Secco is a Dry Jack cheese made by Vella Cheese Co. of Sonoma.

Heirloom Tomato Tarte Rustique

Makes 6 servings

1 recipe pate brise (see below)

1 recipe piperade (see below)

4 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, sliced ?-inch

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

4 ounces Mezzo Secco cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, chives or Italian parsley

Make pate brise and piperade (see recipes below).

For tart: Preheat oven to 425?F

Divide the cooled piperade mixture between the 6 tarts. Place a layer of heirloom tomatoes on top of the piperade mixture.

Sprinkle the tomato layer with fresh herbs, goat cheese and pieces of Mezzo Secco cheese, making sure to reserve enough for the top layer.

Add a second layer of tomatoes, cheeses & herbs. Heat approximately 5 to 6 minutes until cheese bubbles and is golden brown.

On the side: Toss baby arugula with fresh herbs, thinly sliced red onions and Basil Grain Mustard Vinaigrette.

Pate Brise

Makes 6 5-inch tart shells

1? cups all purpose flour

? teaspoon salt

— Pinch of sugar

1stick unsalted chilled butter, cut into ?-inch cubes

1 egg whisked with 3 tablespoons cold water

Sift flour, salt, and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub between fingers or with a dough cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add 4 tablespoons cold water/egg mixture. Work mixture with fingertips until dough begins to form. Add cold water as needed. Form dough into ball and flatten. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Working quickly, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut dough with a 6-inch round cookie cutter or cut approximately 1 inch over the diameter of your tart pan. Press dough onto bottom and all the way up sides of tart pan, pressing hard enough to adhere to sides. Let rest in refrigerator a minimum of 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove tart shells from the refrigerator and line with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until the sides begin to turn golden brown. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake for 5-8 minutes more or until the shell is uniform in color.

Remove from oven, cool and remove tarts from pans.

Piperade

Makes filling for approximately 6, 5-inch tart shells

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, small dice

2 sweet red peppers, seeded, julienne cut

3 sweet gypsy peppers, seeded, julienne cut

2 cloves garlic, minced

— Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Over medium-high heat, saut?onions in olive oil until slightly caramelized. Add peppers and continue cooking until softened. Add garlic and cook approximately 2 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Take off heat and cool down before assembling tart. May be made in advance.

Chloe's Arugula Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Figs

Makes 6 servings

8 cups fresh arugula

12 fresh Mission figs, quartered

4 heirloom tomatoes, medium dice

1 medium Armenian cucumber, $-inch bias cut

3 ounces St. George cheese, grated

3 ounces toasted or raw pepitas

Italian parsley, chopped fine

Divide arugula between six chilled salad plates or on one large plate for family-style service. Evenly divide and arrange layers of figs, heirloom tomatoes and cucumhbers over the arugula. Top with grated St. George cheese, pepitas and Italian parsley. Serve with Basil Grain Mustard Vinaigrette and crusty bread.

Basil Grain Mustard Vinaigrette

Makes 3 cups

1 cup canola oil

? cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/8 cup grain mustard

1 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon honey

4 cloves garlic

1cup fresh basil leaves

— Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth and slightly thick with an immersion blender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

The following recipes are from Richard Whipple, executive chef of the Brasserie Restaurant in Santa Rosa, who likes to serve this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich made with Costeaux French Country Bread and Vella's Mezzo Secco cheese.

Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

Makes 8 cups

4 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces