On to the second week of school, and I had to give an in-class presentation worth 25% of my total grade. Oof. And then head to Joslin for a few hours of data analysis. And then head home and make… a tart dough. Uff da. But I’m the kind of person who volunteers to go first for these kind of projects (now I don’t have to worry about it again).
And the crust was a press-in.
August has been the month of cooking with tomatoes. I keep buying them and using them, but I always wind up with a few leftovers, so I look for something new so they don’t go to waste. This recipe was one of my own ideas. After the success of the roasted tomato crostini, I knew I wanted to make a tart that brought out the tomato sweetness in the same kind of way. Pairing it with caramelized onions, another one of my favorite ingredients, was the logical next step.
Corn off the cob would be good in here, too, but I didn’t manage to get my hands on any before dinner time. Instead, what I’d originally thought would be a puff-pastry flat tart morphed into a cornmeal press-in dough. And I threw some goat cheese into the mix. And it really was good. It was one of those dinners where you talk about how good the food is instead of what you did all day. Next time, I might add some fresh corn and re-think the crust. I used this recipe for the crust, and as it’s made now, the crust is a bit dry and crumbly. If you don’t have cornmeal, definitely use a regular pie or puff pastry crust.
Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Tart with Goat Cheese
Serves 3 (serving size: 2 slices)
Ingredients
For the crust:
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, sliced
4-5 small tomatoes (about the size of tennis balls), sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 oz. goat cheese
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Steps
Crust recipe from Epicurious.com
1) Cut the butter into small (1/2-inch) pieces. In a food processor, pulse the flour, cornmeal, and salt together until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated and mixture forms a dough.
2) Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a tart pan with removable fluted rim (I only used about 3/4 of the dough made). Chill crust about 20 minutes.
3) Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights (or raw beans or rice). Bake in the lower third of oven until set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights and bake 5 minutes more.
4) While the crust is baking, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and cook to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes. Don’t stir the onions too often; allow 3-5 minute intervals between stirring to allow appropriate caramelization.
5) In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil, herbs, and 1/4 cup Parmesan together. Stir until smooth. When the crust is done, spread the cheese mixture over the bottom of the crust in an even layer.
6) When the onions are caramelized and a rich brown color, spoon them evenly into the tart crust. Arrange the tomatoes in circles over the onions. Some overlapping is okay here. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
7) Bake the tart until heated and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook for 5 more minutes under direct heat. Watch the tart closely so it doesn’t overcook. The tart is done when the tomato skins ripple slightly and the cheese browns. Remove the tart rim and slice into six pieces. Serve immediately.
Oh my heavens! This looks SO delicious!
Wow, this looks amazing!!!