Last night before bed, I watched an episode of True Blood, and I thought to myself that it’s a very good thing that vampires don’t exist (they don’t, right?), because I would probably be very easy to glamour. Gorgeous, ripe summer tomatoes, for example, currently have me completely seduced. I think about them all the time; how will I get more? When will I eat my next one? How juicy and delicious will it be? I guess this easy, free-form tart is my way of having my way with summer’s most delicious fruit.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour, plus more for rolling Pantry
- 1 very cold stick butter, cut into pieces $1
- salt Pantry
- 1/8 cup ice water
- 4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, halved lengthwise $2
- olive oil Pantry
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces $1
- 4 oz. crumbled feta $4 for 8 oz.
- freshly ground pepper Pantry
Recipe Serves 3-4
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour. Set aside.
- Arrange tomato halves on a separate baking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tomatoes are very fragrant and slightly shriveled. Allow to cool slightly (leave oven on--you'll use the same temperature later in the recipe).
- While tomatoes roast, combine flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles small peas. Slowly stream 1/8 cup ice water with machine running, just until dough comes together (you may need slightly more or less--just pay attention to the dough). Remove dough from machine, dust ball lightly with flour, place in a bowl and immediately refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- On a floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll dough into a 10" circle. Transfer to floured baking sheet.
- Sprinkle half of the crumbled feta over the center of the dough, leaving a 3" border. Arrange the tomato halves over the first layer of feta. Sprinkle with more feta and top with the torn basil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Gently drape the border of dough over the crust to make a loosely decorative edge. Brush top of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake tart for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Allow to cool.
- Serve warm or chilled.
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What They're Saying
cheesemonkeysf, on Jul 5, 04:03 PM, wrote:
This sounds great, and your photography and food styling make it look gorgeous! We will definitely have to try this one.
Nancy, on Jul 28, 08:20 PM, wrote:
I modified the filling, using mozzarella and a little cheddar instead of feta. I also added some chopped fresh thyme and oregano, sprinkled on top of the tomatoes, before the last of the cheese was added. I cut the basil into little strips (don’t remember the word for that) instead of using torn leaves, and added the basil with the thyme and oregano. I probably used less basil that what the recipe called for but I think herbs can be used to each person’s preference anyway.
This was a yummy, yummy tart! Roasting the tomatoes really brought out their sweetness. Just lovely. Will be making again. I even roasted some more tomatoes this evening and put them in the freezer so I have them when I want to make this tart again.