Heirloom Tomato Tart

After some oven-time, this tart is flakey, golden brown, and summer-lush.  We’re talking crisp, flavorful, herby, tomato YESSS!  So good and so easy to make pretty!  The tomatoes do all the work.  Win!

Heirloom Tomato Tart

makes 1 9×9-inch tart

adapted slightly from The Guardian

For the Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce:

(This will actually make enough sauce for two tarts.  Either double the Tart ingredients below, or reserve the extra sauce for topping on toast, eggs, or pasta.  It’s delicious.)

1-8 ounce jar sundried tomatoes, some of the oil reserved

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 small red chili, seeds remove and coarsely chopped

big pinch of granulated sugar

1 scant teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil from the sundried tomato jar

For the Tart:

1 9×9-inch sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed but still cold

small handful fresh basil leaves

4 ounces goat cheese

3 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick and drained on paper towels

handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and seeds removed

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

olive oil

To make the Sundried Tomato Pesto Sauce, combine sundried tomatoes, garlic cloves, chopped chili, sugar, salt, and oil in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until combined, but still slightly coarse.  The mixture does not need to be completely smooth.  Taste and season as needed.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Unfold a chilled sheet of puff pastry.  Roll lightly with a rolling pin just to flatten completely.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and spread about half of the pesto sauce over the puff pastry, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges.  Coarsely tear basil leaves over the sauce.  Crumble goat cheese over the sauce.  Arrange heirloom tomatoes in a single layer over the goat cheese and press down slightly.  Try to cover as much of the sauce as possible as it can burn in the oven if exposed.  Add a few cherry tomato halves.  Sprinkle generously with fresh thyme and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at lease 10 minutes before serving.  

source:  The Guardian

* joythebaker.com