Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Rosemary Crust

So I have to admit...I got kinda annoyed with the hubs last week when I got home and discovered he had thrown away my absolutely stunning yellow tomato.  (What???  It's the first time I've gotten annoyed with him since we've been married!)  Granted, I should have used it sooner (I'm still getting used to how quickly fresh, local produce with no preservatives goes bad!), but I'm certain we could have salvaged at least part of that beautiful tomato.  I didn't get to take a picture of it.  It was so pretty, and this tart would be even prettier with a yellow tomato in the mix.  Alas!  Thank goodness I had a few other tomatoes on hand, thanks to my CSA, so I could make this tart.  This tart that made my mouth water when I read the ingredients.  Well, even when I just read the name of it really.

Tomatoes = summer.  Tomatoes + cheese = an even better summer.

I'm on a goat cheese kick -- for several reasons, not the least of which is the health benefits.  Plus I've had some in my refrigarator and am still committed to using what I have on hand before I buy anything new.  Don't worry, I have some leftover cow's cheese, too, but that has been reserved for topping homemade pizza (stay tuned for the recipe!) or cheese toast with breakfast or maybe even just an afternoon snack.  This recipe would also be good with cow's cheese because the rosemary crust is di.vine.  It would be good with any kind of cheese really.  But because the recipe called for goat cheese, and I because I had some on hand, I stuck with goat cheese.   Yummy.

 
The ingredients in the crust are all things I typically have on hand, so I anticipate I'll be making this tart a lot.  With whatever kind of cheese I have a hankering for. 

Ingredients

Crust

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4-5 tbsp ice water

Filling

6 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled, about 1-1/3 cups.  (If you don't have goat cheese use mozzarella or any other cheese)
3 medium tomatoes, cored, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch slices, and blotted dry between paper towels*
1 tbsp coconut or grapeseed oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

First, make the crust dough (at least 1 hour before you're ready to assemble the tart). Place the flour, salt, and rosemary in a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses.

Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time, and pulse briefly after each addition. After 4 tbsp of water have been added, process the dough for several seconds to see if it will come together. If it does not, add the remaining 1 tbsp water. Process just until the dough comes together in a rough ball. (Do not overprocess or the dough will not be flakey).

Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and knead briefly to form a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a 5-inch disk.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Note 1:  The final dough should be smooth and supple before refrigerating so add some flour if it's too sticky. Also, if you don't have a food processor, you can still make the dough by using forks or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, then add your water.

When you're ready to cook the tart, move an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Unwrap the chilled dough and roll it into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Lay the rolled dough over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, fitting the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan.  Trim the excess dough. Prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork.

Note 2: I didn't have a tart pan so I used my spring form pan.  It wasn't quite as pretty since I just guessed how high to bring the dough up the sides, and I trimmed it with a knife, but it still tasted good and even had a pretty presentation.

Spread the goat cheese evenly across the bottom of the dough. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese, overlapping them slightly. Drizzle the tomatoes with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Imagine how pretty this would be with yellow tomatoes, too!

Bake until the edges of the crust pull away from the sides of the pan and are golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the tart on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Cut the tart into wedges and serve.  

This tart is really good at room temperature or even cold so feel free to make this ahead and let it cool for several hours.

* To dry tomatoes, lay 3 layers of paper towels on a flat surface. Place your tomato slices on the paper towels, and then cover with 3 more layers of towels. Gently press your hands over the tomatoes to extract as much liquid as you can without crushing the tomatoes. When you lift the slices from the towels, many of the seeds should stay behind. This will keep your tart crust from becoming soggy.

Printable Recipe

(Recipe from www.bellaeats.com and  A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop)

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