My tomatoes are juuuuuust starting to ripen. It’s taking them forever to do so this year and I’m on pins and needles, checking every day! But with the handful we collected from the garden one morning this week, I decided to whip up this quick and delicious tomato tart.
One thing that makes this tomato tart so quick to put together is that the tart dough does not need to rest or chill (like pie dough). Just mix it up and roll it out.
Here’s a quick tip for nice edges to your tart: If you’re using a tart dish, after laying the dough in the dish, run a rolling pin over the edges to the cut pastry nice and neat.
Or, if you don’t love shaping and edging tarts or pies, just make a free-form tart!
Lay the dough out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Assemble it according to the recipe, leaving 1-2 inches along the edges without toppings. Then gently fold the edges up and over the filling. So simple you might just switch to making rustic-style free-form tarts every night of the week!
Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand. This week, I had a few cherry tomatoes, 2 romas, and 1 early girl. I sliced them all about the same thickness and spread them over the bottom of the tart. You can nestle different size tomatoes next to each other to effectively cover the whole bottom of the tart, but try not to overlap them.
You can use almost any soft cheese. Goat cheese is perfect here – that nice creamy tang paired with the sweet bite of tomatoes is the perfect pairing. This week I used my homemade farmer’s cheese (or fromage blanc) because it’s what I had on hand and it turned out so great.
Sprinkle with any herbs you have on hand. I used basil this week but have also used thyme. Chives, tarragon, and summer savory would all be excellent options.
Bake in a really hot oven about 30 minutes until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese begins to soften and brown on the edges. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serve with a nice big green salad.
Garden Fresh Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked tart dough (see below)
- 2 tbsp Dijon or whole grain mustard
- 3-4 tomates, sliced
- 4-6 oz goat cheese (or homemade farmer's cheese)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (basil, thyme, chives, tarragon, summer savory)
Tart Dough
- 1 ½ c flour (210g)
- 4 ½ oz unsalter butter, chilled & cut into cubes (125g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 tbsp cold water
Instructions
Tart Dough:
- Combine the flour & salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers, cut/crumble the butter until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
- Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and add in the beaten egg mixture all at once, stiring until the dough holds together. If it's not coming together easily, add the 3rd tablespoon of water.
- Gather the dough into a ball and roll out on a lightly floured surface. No need to rest or chill. Once it's large enough to fit in your tart shell, roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the dish, unrolling over the dish. Fit the dough into the dish and press your fingers lightly into the bottom to make slight indentations.
- If you're making a free-form tart, just transfer the dough to a parchment-covered baking sheet. No need to make indentations.
Assemble the Tart:
- Preheat the over to 425°.
- Spread an even layer of the dijon or whole grain mustard over the bottom of the tart shell.
- Lay the sliced tomates over the mustard, spacing close together but do not overlap. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. I like to add a sprinkling of salt at this step as well.
- Crumble your cheese over the tomatoes, distributing it evenly, but not covering the whole surface. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over all.
- If you're making a free-form tart, gently fold the outer 1-2 inches up and over the envelop the filling.
- Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese softens and browns on the edges.
- Let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.