Tomato Tart
There are a lot of ways to make a tomato tart. From my research you need to have one very important basic ingredient and that is a super fresh, ripe tomato. The heirloom varieties tend to be a lot sweeter so use those if they are available.
This version is about as basic as it comes. It uses just a little bit of savory ingredients to contrast with the taste of the super sweet tomatoes.
- 5 to 6 super ripe medium sized tomatoes, heirloom varieties preferred, cut in thin slices
- 1, 9″ pie crust
- 2 oz grated mozzarella or provolone cheese, or about 1/2 cup
- 1 oz grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, or enough for a light sprinkling
- 5 or 6 basil leaves
- 2 paper thin slices of red onion, cut in half, and separated into rings
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the pie crust in a tart or pie pan and press the crust up against the sides. The pie does not have to be very deep.
Cook the crust for about 10 minutes making sure to use some kind of weight to keep the crust from puffing up in the initial cooking process.
Remove the crust from the oven. Distribute the grated mozzarella on the bottom of the crust. Spread the basil leaves evenly over the cheese. Spread the thin slices of onion over the basil and cheese. Starting at the outer edge begin distributing the tomato slices in a spiral pattern making sure they overlap a bit. Make sure the entire surface of the crust is covered with the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with the parmigiano cheese and some salt and pepper.
Put the tart back in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes. The crust should be nicely browned and the tomatoes should look a bit wilted. Allow to cool for about 10 or 15 minutes before serving. The tart is great warm or cold depending on your tastes.