Tasty Tomato Tart

Happy Friday and hooray for the weekend?!? Seriously, is anyone else totally confused about what day it is? At this point, aren’t the week and weekend running into one another? Minus the fact that I don’t have to work the weekends (not complaining here), they just don’t seem to have the same pizzazz as the used to.

I’ve decided to make the weekend feel more weekendy (yes I know that’s not a word) by cooking creative and fancy dishes. It puts me in a better state of mind and makes Saturday and Sunday feel more special. Last weekend this involved several dishes, but one of my favorite was a tomato tart. It involved a little prep to make the dough, but honestly it was worth it. Plus it looked so pretty and made it feel like summer had arrived. So if you have a bunch of tomatoes, definitely give this recipe a whirl!

Ingredients :

For the dough

1 1/2 cup of flour (I used 00, but all purpose flour works too)

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan

1 stick of butter cut into cubes (I cube mine and then put them back into the fridge to get them cold again)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1-3 tablespoons of water

For the tart

1/2 cup of pesto (I had leftover pesto that I made, but you can use any store bought as well)

8-10 tomatoes (depending on the size) sliced 1/4 inch thick

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh basil

Place all ingredients minus the water in a food processor. Pulse until incorporated and all you’re left with is pea side butter pieces. If the dough is dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until its pliable. Turn onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

About five minutes before pulling the dough out pre-heat the oven to 385 degrees. Once the dough has cooled, place in a tart pan (a regular pie pan will work too, but the tart pan makes is come out pretty) and push out to cover the entire pan and sides.

Spread the pesto to cover the bottom on the tart. Begin layering your tomatoes from the outside in, making a smaller circle as you come to the middle of the tart pan. Once the pan is full, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and about one tablespoon of olive oil. Place in over and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Pull tart out and top with fresh basil. Dig in and enjoy.

Wine to pair?

Well we ate this for lunch and it was warm out so I opened a nice bright Chablis. Not so much because it paired perfect with tomatoes (they’re always hard for me to pair with), but because I love a crisp minerally chardonnay on a hot day. Considering some of us have limited options thanks to our little virus friend, pop open what you have and enjoy!

Stay safe, be well, and cheers friends.