Summer Tomato Tart

Summer Tomato Tart

Serves 6 to 8

This is a great appetizer or first course in the summertime when tomatoes are truly at their peak. I recommend using fleshier tomatoes as they don’t have as much water to cook off but you can really use any mixture of cherry tomatoes and heirloom varieties. 

Ingredients
Pie Dough
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (7 ½ ounces)
½ cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (2 ounces)
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
19 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons ice water

Tart
1 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Make the pie crust: Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt in a large bowl, until combined, about 30 seconds. 

Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until the mix resembles a coarse and lumpy meal, about pea-sized pieces, about 3 minutes. 

Note on mixing the butter: Getting the butter to that specific pea size is important, if you work the butter in too much and it is smaller than pea-sized, the crust won't be flakey. And if you don't work it in enough that the butter chunks are larger than pea-sized, it won't moisten the flour enough and you will have to add more water, which in turn will make the crust tough.

Add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, and gently mix just enough for the dough to come together. If it holds together easily by grabbing together in a large clump, without crumbling, it's ready. If it has dry spots or pieces break off easily, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it's totally cohesive.

Form the dough into two equal balls and flatten into 5 inch disks (about 10 ½ ounces per disk). Tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to overnight. Or freeze for up to 1 month. You will only need one disc for this recipe.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 11 inches to fit into a 9-inch removable tart pan. Flit the dough into the pan, pressing the sides into the ruffled edges. Trim any excess dough from the top. Freeze the tart shell until firm, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Thinly slice the tomatoes to about ⅛-inch thick rounds and lay on paper towels to absorb moisture. 

Remove the tart shell from the freezer and using a pastry brush, paint the mustard evenly over the bottom of the dough. Sprinkle with Gruyère and arrange the tomatoes in an overlapping circle pattern. Sprinkle the tomatoes with half of the garlic and bake in the oven until the tomatoes are very soft, the filling is bubbling, and the crust is brown, about 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme, Romano cheese, and oil in a small bowl. 

When the tart comes out of the oven, drizzle with the olive oil mixture, and let sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.