Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart
updated from the TasteFood archives, because it's on the menu tonight:

Early September brings beautiful tomatoes, their sunny colors cheerily keeping autumn at bay, reminding us that summer is not yet finished.  Sweet, juicy, sunkissed heirlooms, early girls, and cherries promise to bring a little sunshine to our dinner plates while the days grow shorter, cooler and crisper. 

This Tomato Tart is an easy, light dinner for a busy weekday night that takes advantage of the kaleidescope of cherry tomatoes falling in our gardens and showcased in the market. The tart's ease of preparation is, in part, due to the usage of store-bought frozen puff pastry dough.  I confess that as much as I try to homemake everything, homemade pastry (unless made well ahead of time and frozen) doesn't conveniently figure into a spontaneous week night meal.  Fortunately, high quality frozen pastry dough is available in many stores.  I buy mine at Whole Foods, and while the price is not cheap, I see it as a break-even when considering the cost of the ingredients and time I would need to make it myself.  However, if you do have time on your side (lucky you!) and would like to make your own pastry, one of my go-to recipes for quick puff pastry is from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible.  

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart
Serves 4 as a light meal or 6-8 as a side dish

1 sheet (11 oz./300 g.) frozen puff-pastry dough, thawed

1 1/2 pounds (750 g.) cherry tomatoes, multi-colored if possible, halved lengthwise
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
 

Prepare tart:
Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.)

Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface.  Pierce dough all over with a fork, leaving a 1 inch border intact.  Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking tray and refrigerate 15 minutes. 
Bake in oven until lightly golden, 12-15 minutes.  Remove from oven, but do not turn off heat.

Arrange tomato halves, cut-side up, on crust, leaving the 1" border clear. Drizzle tart with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Return to oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Remove tart from oven, and transfer to serving platter.  Garnish with fresh marjoram (or basil) and serve immediately. 

For a complete rustic meal serve with a wedge of soft, runny Camembert or Taleggio cheese, thick slices of pain paysan and a salad of mixed seasonal greens. 

If you like this, you might enjoy these recipes from TasteFood:

Tomato Bruschetta

Heirloom Tomato Tartare

 Potato, Rosemary, Garlic Pizza

 

you might also enjoy these tomato recipes from the foodblogs:
Tomato Jam from Homesick Texan
Cherry Tomato Bites from the Kitchn
Roasted Tomato and Corn Risotto from Herbivoracious
Zucchini and Tomato Gratin from Andrea Meyers

 
 

Comments

[shayma]

beautiful- i am in love with your photo. x shayma

[Marianne Wedell-Wedellsborg]

Sounds fantastic. As a matter of fact, my husband brought in a good supply of cherry tomatoes from the garden yesterday and I found some of Trader Joe's puff pastry when I was cleaning the freezer yesterday. I guess your post is divine intervention ;-). Great shot, by the way, Lynda.

[Lynda]

Thank you, Shayma!

And thank you, as well, Marianne. Here's to good timing!

[Lynne @ CookandBeMerry]

I found your wonderful blog through Food52. Thank you for leaving a comment on my first entry there. I just love puff pastry because it is so versatile and buttery rich. With the acid and sweetness from the tomatoes, this is a sure winner.