Tomato Tart

Didn't I tell you that I was going to make more tarts this summer? What can I say, I love my new tart pan! After making a sweet and creamy dessert tart, it was time to try something a little more savory. This tomato tart fit the bill and made for a delicious dinner. We had it with steak salad, but it's definitely hearty enough to stand on its own, too.

Tomatoes, to me, are synonymous with summer. Those wan, insipid hothouse tomatoes you can buy at the grocery in the winter aren't even worthy of the name. No, I want a huge, juicy, homegrown tomato, bursting with flavor. I absolutely stuff myself with them while they're in season, and have found lots of ways to prepare them inventively. But using them in a tart was new to me, so of course I had to try it.

As always, no matter what recipe they come in, summer's tomatoes don't disappoint. The crust on this tart is so flavorful and crisp, and the tomatoes pair perfectly with the cheeses and pesto. A perfect summer meal! It's like distilling all the flavors of summer - tomatoes, basil, fresh farmer's cheeses, parsley - into one delicious bite.

Start by slicing up some fresh tomatoes. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and set them in a colander to drain, so that they won't make the tart soggy.

Soggy tarts are gross. So avoid them!

Okay, now on to the dough.

Mix together a cup of flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, a teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Then cut in a stick of butter. Once you break out the entire stick of butter, there's no turning back...

Roll it out on waxed paper until it's bigger than your tart pan (or pie pan, if you're using that instead). Then, just carefully transfer the dough to the pan and press it into the edges. Cut any excess off the top.

Poke some holes in the bottom and cover it with tin foil. Blind bake it (i.e. without filling) at 350 degrees for 20 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered.

If you have a lot of extra dough from the edges, you can roll it out thin and cut it into little crackers to bake on a separate sheet. They're really good sprinkled with a little salt.

While your crust is baking, you can mix the cheese for the filling. This tart is really easy to make, you just have to do a little layering.

One cup of ricotta cheese (low fat or full fat both work well) combined with 1/3 cup goat cheese. If you're not a huge goat cheese fan, you could probably just put in some more ricotta, but I personally love that slightly tangy flavor that melds so well with the tomatoes.

Once your crust is baked, and has cooled a bit, spread the ricotta/goat cheese filling in the bottom, as evenly as possible.

Turn the oven up to 375 degrees, before you forget, and I forget, and we're stuck with an oven that's 25 degrees too cold to finish up our delicious tart!

Spread a quarter cup of pesto on top of the cheese. You can use store-bought pesto, but you can also use my sister's easy pesto recipe if you have some fresh basil lying around (see Perfect Pesto).

All that's left to do is to arrange your beautiful tomatoes on top. You can see that I used a few green ones too, which will give a little bite.

Sprinkle two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top, along with some freshly ground pepper.

Then, just pop it into the oven for about 30 minutes.

When your tart comes out all steaming and fragrant from the oven, chop up a fistful of parsley and sprinkle it generously over the top. Carry your beautiful and delicious concoction out to a rousing applause from your very hungry guests!

Eat it outside in the cool summer evening air, and it will taste even better. I swear it's true!

Tomato Tart
Adapted from Food Network and Prevention magazine

Parmesan-Cornmeal Crust
1 c. flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

Tomato, Ricotta, and Goat Cheese filling
1 c. ricotta cheese (full or low fat)
1/3 c. goat cheese
1/4 c. pesto (see Perfect Pesto)
4-5 large tomatoes, sliced and salted to remove moisture
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
pepper to taste
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

For the crust, mix together flour, cornmeal, salt, and Parmesan. Cut in butter. Form into a ball and roll out between sheets of waxed paper until it is slightly larger than a 9" or 10" tart pan. Transfer to pan and press into sides, cutting off excess. Prick the bottom with a fork, cover with tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before filling. Raise temperature of oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling, mix together ricotta and goat cheese and spread in bottom of tart shell. Spread pesto on top. Layer tomatoes evenly, then sprinkle with Parmesan and pepper. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until tomatoes have begun to brown at the edges. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

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