Sun-ripened Tomato and Herbed Goat Cheese Tart
This tart is a crowd pleaser. It captures & concentrates all the flavors of a sun ripe tomato with the added richness of goat cheese. I like to use a combination of red and yellow tomatoes if they are available. It makes an interesting and colorful tart. Choose tomatoes that are roughly the same size and alternate the colors as you top the tarts. Yield: One 7 x 11 inch tart
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Pâte Brisée, link below
- 3 ounces Farmer Cheese, softened
- 6 ounces plain goat cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 6 medium Early Girl tomatoes or similar sized yellow and red tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
1. Roll the brisée out ⅛–inch thick and cut into a rectangle 8 x 12 inches. Roll the edges over and crimp with fingers to form a decorative wavy edge. Chill the in the refrigerator until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the 2 cheeses with the basil. Season with salt and pepper and mix again until evenly combined. Reserve.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the core from the tomato and score the bottom with an X. Dip each tomato into the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds and remove. Place on a plate to cool. Remove the skin and discard. Reserve the tomatoes until ready to use.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread the herbed goat cheese over.
6. Slice each tomato into six or seven even slices. Arrange in lines across the short length of tart. Overlap each slice by half. Reverse the direction of the tomatoes every other row for pizzazz. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the top.
7. Bake the tart on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until the crust is golden. Move to the top rack and bake for another 20 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly puckered. Don’t be concerned that the tart is burning if the juices around the tart blacken on the parchment paper. When you remove the tart from the paper you will leave most of the darkness behind. Drizzle with additional olive oil upon removal from oven. Loosen the edges of the tart with a thin metal spatula. Remove from the sheet pan to a serving platter while the tart is still very warm. Serve immediately.
You will only need ½ of the Pâte Brisée for this recipe, but you may freeze the other half for up to three months well wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out.