It’s that time of the year when everyone’s gardens will burst with beautiful, ripe tomatoes. When we had a garden when the boys were little, we would watch the green tomatoes slowly turn red, then rejoice when we could pick the first ripe tomato. Every year we treated it like a miracle that occurred.
A couple of weeks later, we had tomatoes coming out of our asses. In the beginning, picking red tomatoes was a celebration. Having a lot of tomatoes isn’t bad, but the ideas start to run out after making umpteen Caprese platters, quick marinara sauces, BLT and tomato sandwiches, and salsas.
At the end of the summer, I used to can jars of fresh basil and Roma tomatoes that I would pull out in the middle of winter for a taste of summer. One year I got lazy and just threw tomatoes, peel and all, into freezer bags and frozen them. I wouldn’t say I liked the texture when I defrosted them and vowed not to pull that trick again.
When I was younger, I used to watch Ciao Italia on PBS with my dad. My father and I both loved Italian food and liked watching the host, Maryann Esposito, cook. We learned about dishes we had never heard of and tried making some.
One of her recipes was a gorgeous tomato tart. I followed her recipe when my dad bought her cookbook; after I moved to Vermont, I wrote my recipe on what I remembered.
I wrote that tomato tart recipe about 28 years ago and shared it with many friends. It became everyone’s go-to recipe to make for guests. I made it almost every time we had company for the weekend since it can be eaten cold, hot, or at room temperature.
I used to make this recipe long before my gluten-free days. Sometimes I made homemade pie crust, and other times I used a store-bought refrigerated one from Pillsbury. Both came out great. Shit, I miss those Pillsbury pie crusts. While I am nit it I should also admit how much I loved their cinnamon buns, biscuits and crescent roll. I am not a food snob and think everything has to be made from scratch.
After I had to go gluten-free, I didn’t make the tomato tart for years since I hated making GF pie crust. A few years ago, I found an easy, no-fail GF pie crust recipe and put this dish back into circulation.
Here is the link to my gluten-free pie crust recipe for my gluten-free readers. I use this recipe for savory and sweet tarts and pies all year long and trust the outcome every time I make it.
So, when you get to the point of “Oy vey, I have so many tomatoes, what should I do with them?” Well, you can make this tomato tart, which maybe becomes one of your favorite go-to recipes. Ripe Roma tomatoes work best for a perfect-looking tart; however, I sacrificed my last Jersey tomato when I made the tart last week.
After thinly slicing the tomatoes for the tart, the most crucial part of the recipe is to layer them on a plate between paper towels to absorb the excess liquid. Failure to do so results in a soggy tart. No one wants a soggy tart.
Tomato Tart
Ingredients
5-6 ripe plum tomatoes sliced into thin rounds
4 cloves of fresh garlic
1 small onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 9″ pie crust of your choice
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 lb provolone cheese
Directions
Slice the tomatoes and place them on a paper towel-lined plate covering each layer with more paper towels. This removes the water from the tomatoes so the tart will not become soggy.
Line a tart pan with a removable bottom with the pie crust. Prick the dough with a fork uniformly, so the crust doesn’t shrink when pre-baked. You may also line the pie crust with dried beans if you wish.
Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, ensuring the tart shell doesn’t get too brown.
Brush the tart shell immediately with the dijon mustard after you remove it from the oven, which seals the tart shell and prevents it from getting soggy.
While the tart shell is pre-baking, mince the garlic and onion. Combine in a small bowl with the herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Dice the cheese into 1/4″ cubes.
To assemble the tart, place the cheese cubes in the pre-baked tart shell spreading them out evenly. Next, spread the garlic and herb mixture over the cheese cubes evenly. Place the tomatoes in a circular fashion covering the whole tart.
Bake in a 425-degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese looks bubbling and the tomatoes look cooked.
Cool for 30 minutes and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste.
Remove the ring from the tart pan and place it on a serving plate.
Serve either warm, cool, or at room temperature. Delicious with a freshly tossed garden salad or antipasto salad.