This week, I took a dive into savory baking to bring you this summer tomato tart recipe! This tart is simple and elegant, with just a few ingredients to support the star of the show–fresh summer tomatoes. This recipe is inspired by my dear friend (you know who you are), who made me a piece of toast with a thin layer of cream cheese, fresh tomatoes, and salt and pepper. It’s so simple yet there was something about the creaminess paired with the tomatoes that made this dish absolute perfection (and this is coming from someone who rarely eats cream cheese)!
The base of the tart is a puff pastry. You can use store bought puff pastry but I encourage you to give the recipe a try. This rough puff pastry is a quick and easy recipe from David Lebovitz and it works beautifully. Don’t be intimidated by the folds and turns. This does not require the level of precision that a croissant does and you can work quickly and approximate dimensions as you go.
The crust is buttery, flaky, and incredibly thin and delicate. The rest of the tart is highly customizable. Feel free to use goat cheese instead of cream cheese or a combination. Sprinkle with truffle salt, add fresh basil or other herbs. Sprinkle a bit of parmesan or pecorino romano on top. I kept the recipe simple to provide an opportunity for the tomatoes to shine but feel free to add on! The one must is using very flavorful, high quality tomatoes. Since this recipe uses so few ingredients, using farmers market heirloom tomatoes or home-grown tomatoes will help ensure a flavorful tart.
Summer Tomato Tart
Cuisine: Pies and TartsDifficulty: Baking session4
servings30
minutes25
minutes3
hoursThis tomato tart places ripe summer tomatoes front and center and requires only a few basic ingredients. The crust is thin and flaky, and the topping pairs fresh tomatoes with a beautifully creamy spread. Feel free to serve as an appetizer or as a meal with a side salad. The crust requires very little active time to make and is not too difficult, but you can use store-bought puff pastry if you prefer.
Ingredients
- For the crust
3/4 cup (110g) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3 Tbsp ice water
- For the topping
3 oz cream cheese or creme fraiche, room temperature
2-3 vine-ripened or heirloom tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
Crack of black pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Make the crust
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour and the salt. Add in the cubes of butter and using a pastry cutter or a pinching motion with your hands, quickly mix in the butter until it has slightly decreased in size (about 25% smaller than the original cubes).
- Add in the ice water and mix together until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a rectangle shape. Roll the dough into a 10″ x 5″ rectangle. Take the short end and fold it into the center. Fold the other short end on top so that the long sheet has now been folded into thirds.
- Rotate the dough so that the long end faces you and the short ends (where you can see the fold) are on the left and right sides. Roll out into another 10″ x 5″ rectangle. The short ends where you can see the fold should be the 5″ sides of the rectangle. Fold into thirds again and then turn so short ends are on the left and right sides again.
- Do this process of rolling out, folding into thirds, and turning 2 more times. Work relatively quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm. It’s okay if you see butter pieces in the dough and if your rectangle is just approximate and the edges are not perfect. Each time you fold and roll the dough should be a bit smoother.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Let rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes if it’s too stiff to roll out right away. Repeat the process of rolling into a 10″ x 5″ rectangle, folding in thirds and doing a turn of the dough two more times. Cover and return to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the tart
- Cut the tomatoes into very thin slices. Place on a paper towel and sprinkle salt. Let the tomatoes sit for 20-30 minutes to allow some moisture to drain.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Let rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes if too firm to roll out. Roll into a thin 14-inch circle. From there, cut a 12-inch round. If you have a 12-inch pan or dish, use that to trace the circle.
- Gently fold the dough in half and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Unfold the dough on the sheet and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to prevent the butter from getting too warm while you arrange the topping.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread the cream cheese or creme fraiche onto the base of the dough, leaving a very small border of about 1/4 inch at the edge.
- Place the tomato slices on top and arrange in concentric circle, with slices partially overlapping. Add freshly ground black pepper on top, sprinkle with a little bit of extra salt, and drizzle olive oil on top. Brush a little bit of olive oil over the dough at the border.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is a nice golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- You can jazz this recipe up with truffle salt, fresh basil, a little balsamic glaze, goat cheese, or any other flavors you’d like to add!
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