Tomato Tart Heaven ~ Fast and Fun

 

Hi! on a lovely summer Friday. [That said, I am indoors blogging as a brief useless cloudburst has sent me and Mo indoors for a while.

This week it was so hot I did have to air condition in the afternoons for Mo and took advantage of that coolness to try a new recipe. A Goat Cheese, Onion, Tomato Tart. Recipe HERE

The version I used was based on an apparently famous tart recipe by Ina Garten of "Barefoot Contessa" fame. I made her fresh tomato salad earlier this summer and was very pleased. I have read about Ina Garten for many years but avoided her cookbooks etc because I felt she was so Hamptons [NY], a la-di-dah celebrity chef type of cook, not for me at all. Looks like I need to rethink that! Because this tart was amazingly delicious and also easy and fast to make. Original recipe here btw, it is NOT pizza-y at all.

This is a wonderful way to use up tomatoes and onions from the farmers market or your garden. I used local produce sourced by my small market, choosing less juicy Roma tomatoes instead of heirloom beefsteaks because it did say the tart could easily get soggy:

I followed the instructions fairly closely. Store bought puff pastry, defrosted overnight. I adore puff pastry but had never worked with it before. The tomatoes were sliced an hour before, salted, then and drained, 

Meanwhile I caramelized the finely sliced Vidalia onion, adding then reducing  the mixtures with inexpensive but okay store wine. With pepper and spoonful of sugar. Don't add more salt bec the tomatoes were salted already.

I leave the pan of onions on the hot but turned-off stove top to finish the caramelization. [I have an electric stove top.] or you could leave the pan on very low for about 15 minutes if you have a gas stove.

And hour later I began constructing my tart. Parchment is essential, on the cooky sheet, tho I suppose wax paper might be okay too.

Score edges of the pastry to create a rim then spread the goat cheese. [You will not taste the goat cheese, but you can sub a spreadable cheese if you must, maybe Gruyere?]

Spread the cooled onions:

Sprinkle w parm. Add the tomatoes, one overlapping layer.

Add more grated parm and also shaved parm. Add herbs: recipe calls for basil but I used fresh and dried tarragon both.

Isn't it pretty!

Bake 425* [I did 400* bec I am chicken, all I need is an oven fire] and bake about 20 minutes.

Watch the edges for golden brown.

Cool slightly and serve. Melts in your mouth!

I plan to try other versions of this idea. Ordered more pastry sheets this week. One will be peaches w mascarpone and marmalade, another will be summer squash and broccoli, w the onions and whatever cheese I find in the fridge.

My only caveat: try to eat at one sitting, it is enough for a meal for 4 if you serve maybe a green salad and corn on the cob. The tart does NOT reheat well, very limp. Room temp leftovers were better.

I hope you try this! Easiest recipe ever!

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Thank you to everyone who has asked about Mo and his ear problem. The test results of the infection culture  are not yet in, still waiting. But the vet told me that if Mo loses weight it will cure his ear infection! WTF? New diet miracle cure for chronic infection? Maybe weight loss can cure Covid and cancer too. I was very miffed, does she think I am an idiot? Not to mention Mo has worked hard and has lost almost 2 pounds since Memorial Day. That's a big accomplishment, I think.

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This week's journal doodle:

I pasted in a photo printout of a swallowtail butterfly bec my drawing was so clumsy, clunky. I doodle these pages from memory, not real life, I suppose you can tell.

have a great weekend, last of August '22.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...