Every year we plant tomatoes in our little raised garden behind our house in Cape Cod. We’re not exactly dedicated green thumbs, so results are mixed. We did well with grape tomatoes, as we often do, but the slightly larger tomatoes we planted were ravaged by some sort of animal. Chipmunks perhaps. Most of the herbs grew gorgeously, except the dill which was completely chewed up by an unsavory little creature.
In cooperation with Wayfair, I decided to bake a tomato tart to show off my harvest. The local farmers’ market provided supplemental ingredients. Namely, heirloom tomatoes.
A tomato tart looks best with an assortment of colors. I used red and yellow.
These are the tomatoes from my own garden, along with my basil and parsley. And that’s the kitty, wondering if those leaves are good enough to eat.
Step one, brown the onions. A good use for local sea salt, another farmers’ market purchase. My husband let me use his prize possession—his cast iron skillet. It worked really well.
I used herbed goat cheese knowing it would provide maximum flavor with minimal effort. The home gown basil and parsley were mainly for show, and a bit of texture.
I whisked one egg (laid by one of my brother-in-law’s chickens) with two percent milk to make an egg wash for the crust.
After unrolling the ($15!) puff pastry and pressing it into a buttered, nonstick shallow baking pan, I crumbled in the herbed goat cheese and added thin slices of cheddar. Any kind of cheese will work; we just happened to have cheddar. But no cheese grater, hence the slices.
Next I layered the delicious caramelized onions and sprinkled on more salt and pepper.
Then I sliced the gorgeous tomatoes and spread them across the top. First the yellows, then the reds. Then I threw on the cherry tomatoes, uncut, though next time I’d halve them, and sprinkled on the chopped fresh basil and parsley, and drizzled on some olive oil. Finally, into the oven for 15 minutes.
Here it is. Beautiful and delicious. Like, really, really delicious. It tasted as good the next day reheated too.
Tomato Tart-Making Tools
Clockwise: Tart dish; tomato knife; measuring cup; whisk; silicone brush; herb chopper; marble board.
