When the heirloom tomatoes hit the farmers market or, even better, your own tomatoes are ready for harvest, try this beautiful Tomato Tart recipe as an alternative to a tomato pie. The nutty Gruyère cheese and fresh basil pop the flavor of the tomatoes, and the pepper and cheese in the crust add surprising bite. Zodax marble and wood round server; Montes Doggetts medium plates; Creative Co-op cotton embroidered napkins and green glaze large ginko dish; Costa Nova gold and stainless forks; Bloomingville server; all courtesy of Kudzu Bakery & Market.
Tarts have a certain “wow” factor, whether they are free-form and rustic or perfectly coiffed and ornately designed. They make any occasion seem a little more special and upscale. Tart recipes are also flexible. Once you find a crust you like, you can play with different shaped tart pans, alter fillings from savory to sweet, go free form or traditional fluted sides.
What is the difference between a pie and a tart? The answer is complicated. A pie is a pastry with sweet or savory filling, traditionally made and served from a round pan with sloped sides, from blueberry pie to chicken pot pie. It can have a bottom crust, a bottom and a top crust, or just a top crust and still be a pie. The pie crust is typically made with fat — usually butter, lard, or shortening — and flour, salt, sugar, and water. Some people use eggs, vinegar, vodka, fruit juice, or sour cream to substitute for some or all of the water.
On the other hand, a tart is a pastry made with a sweet or savory filling. Tart crusts are typically made with fat — usually butter, lard, or shortening — and flour, salt, sugar, and water. Wait, does that sound like a familiar list of ingredients? Well, pie crusts are usually flaky and tart crusts crumbly … except when pie crusts are crumbly, like a cookie crust, and tart crusts are flaky as in a puff pastry or free-form tart.
Pies are served from the dish in which they were baked. Tart pans are often shallow and have a removable bottom with smooth or fluted sides so the contents can be removed easily and cleanly while retaining the shape created by the fluted sides.
In the end, tarts are from the elegant side of the endlessly creative pie family. They fit in at any meal and can slide into almost any course. If you are afraid to mess with pastry, you can use crushed cookies, phyllo dough, or store-bought puff pastry. Where there is a will, there is a tart!
Try out some ideas below, from appetizers to main dishes. Some are complicated, multistep slow cooking recipes as in the Ratatouille Tart for the adventurous cook. Others are deceptively simple and elegant, as in the Simple Apple Tart.
Tart your engines and try something new!
Caramelized Onion Tartlets
Simple flavors shine in these appetizers. Really like them? You can make a larger tart with the same ingredients and serve it as a side dish or vegetarian main.
2 Vidalia onions, diced (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch of salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup very cold butter (2 sticks), cut into ½ inch cubes
½ cup sour cream
Put the extra-virgin olive oil and butter in a saute pan, preferably cast iron. Turn the heat on low. Add the onions and salt. Allow the onions to cook slowly, stirring from time to time to prevent burning or sticking. Cook until the onions have a caramel color, about 20 to 30 minutes. Onions may take longer to caramelize. Relax and enjoy the wonderful smell. When the onions are ready, set them aside in a bowl capturing those juices and allow them to cool. Taste for seasoning. The onions can be cooked the day before and kept in the refrigerator overnight.
While the onions are cooking, combine the flour, thyme, and salt in a bowl. Toss in the butter cubes to coat with flour. Working quickly with your hands, mash the butter cubes in the flour between your fingers to flatten the cubes and smear them with flour. Or use your favorite method to combine the butter and flour. The mixture will have uneven clumps of butter, some flat and some pea-shaped.
Sprinkle water over the mixture. With a rubber scraper, toss and mash the pastry until it begins to come together. Be patient. If it looks too dry, use a spray bottle with cold water and spritz the mixture a couple times.
When the pastry comes together, wrap it in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
After the pastry dough has rested, roll it out to about ⅛-inch thickness. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut 3-inch circles of dough. Lightly tamp the rounds into mini muffin pans. Depending on the size of your muffin tins, you may need to adjust the size of the pastry rounds, which will affect how many rounds you get. Place the muffin tins in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Drop 2 to 3 teaspoons of the caramelized onion into each tart shell. Bake at 425 F for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tart crust is golden brown and cooked through. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.
A Word About Pastry Making
The way your mother or grandmother made her pastry crust is the best way to make it. Probably 50 ways are available to bring a crust together and they all work. The method described in these recipes requires no special equipment and is fairly easy to get a reliably good pastry. If you have a favorite way to make your crust, ignore these instructions and do it your way.
Ratatouille Tart
When you feel like slow cooking and want to impress your guests, this savory tart is worth the time. Roasted vegetables caramelize in the oven and combine with salty feta that softens to melt into the vegetables, enclosed in a crust with a satisfying shatter. This tart is elegant and tasty.
The two tarts serve 8 people, although it is so delicious you might lock the door and finish one by yourself before the guests arrive. It works as a dramatic vegetarian main or a side. Any extra filling makes a satisfying meal later for the cook.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup very cold butter (2 sticks), cut into half inch cubes
¼ cup very cold water
1 medium sized eggplant, cut into ¾-inch dice
2 sweet bell peppers, cut into ¾-inch dice
1 large Vidalia onion, cut into ¾-inch dice
2 medium zucchinis, cut into ¾-inch dice
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons oregano
2 cups sheep’s milk feta, drained and crumbled
½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded on the large grating hole
Make the Pastry Crust — Mix the flours and salt together in a bowl. Toss the butter in the flour mixture to coat all sides of the cubes. Using your fingers, smash and blend the butter cubes into the flour. The mixture should have some smaller and larger clumps of butter and be a bit uneven.
Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture. Using a rubber scraper, toss and press the mixture together until it begins to come together in a shaggy cohesive dough. It should hold together when you squeeze some in your hands.
Transfer the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper or a silicone rolling mat. Using the parchment or mat, press the dough together into a rough rectangle. Gather the dry bits on top of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds like an envelope, using the mat to compress it together again into another rectangle. Fold it in thirds again. If needed, you can spritz once or twice with a spray bottle filled with cold water. You don’t want to overhandle the dough, but you want it to come together.
When the dough comes together, divide it in half. Shape each piece into a circle about 1 inch thick and roughly 4 inches in diameter. Gently roll the edges of the circles on a lightly floured surface to smooth them out. The smooth edges will help you roll an even circle later. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Can be made the day ahead.
Roast the Filling — Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss the vegetables together in a bowl with the salt and olive oil. Cover two sheet pans with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Divide the vegetables evenly between the two pans. Roast, stirring every 20 minutes and alternating the top and bottom pans until the vegetables shrink and begin to caramelize, about 40 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Toss with the oregano. Can be made the day ahead and cooled overnight in the fridge. You should have about 4 cups of cooked vegetables.
Make the Tart — Allow the pastry circles to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes until soft enough to roll but still cold to the touch. On a cool and lightly floured surface, roll from the center of the circle to the outside, turning the dough ⅛ of a turn after each roll until you get a roughly 12-inch round. Avoid going over the edge of the dough with the rolling pin because that will make the edges thinner than the middle. Don’t worry if the edges are rough; this is a rustic tart. Gently lay the pastry flat on a piece of parchment. Repeat the process with the other circle.
Place each parchment and pastry round on a cookie sheet. It is acceptable if the pastry won’t fit completely flat in the pan at this time. Working one tart at a time, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano across the pastry leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle ½ cup of feta over the cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup of the vegetables over the cheeses. Sprinkle another ½ cup of feta followed by another cup of vegetables. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano on top. Pleat and fold the outer 2-inch tart edges over the filling all the way around the tart, making pleats every 2 to 3 inches. Repeat the process with the other tart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Can be prepared several hours early.
Place an oven rack on the upper third and lower third of the oven. Bake the tarts for 35 to 40 minutes, switching the pans halfway through until nicely golden all over and brown and crisp on the bottom. Check the bottom with a spatula. Using the parchment, slide the tart carefully onto a cooling rack to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. When ready to serve, slide tart onto a plate and serve warm or room temperature.
Simple Apple Tart
This tart is deceptively easy and so delicious. The simplicity of buttery, flaky pastry and sweet tart apples wows with flavor. Using store-bought puff pastry, it is a quick, low-labor dessert that will impress your guests.
Feel free to substitute pears, peaches, or plums for the apples if you like. Some of the ingredients are estimates because this is a free-form quick tart.
2 to 3 flavorful apples such as Granny
mith, Pink Lady, or Braeburn
1 sheet high quality all-butter puff pastry¼ cup boiled apple cider, plus more for brushing the crust (available online)
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400 F. Defrost the puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator or for about an hour on the counter at room temperature. Carefully unroll it onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Lightly repair any cracks with your fingers. Return it to the refrigerator to chill while you slice the apples.
Slice the apples down the middle, core and destem. With the apples cut side down, slice the apples about ⅛-inch thick, discarding the two outside slices that are mostly skin. Toss the apple slices in a bowl with the boiled apple cider.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Drizzle boiled apple cider over the crust, leaving a 2-inch space clear around the outside. Use a silicone pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread the cider evenly across the bottom. Arrange the apple slices overlapping one another with the skin side up across the bottom of the tart in any design you like.
Fold the edges of the dough up and over the apples, pinching the corners together. Drizzle another tablespoon or so of the boiled cider over the top of the apples.
Bake the tart in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the top crust is golden brown and the bottom crust is cooked through. Check underneath to see that the pastry has browned; if not, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, but lower the oven temperature to 350 F.
When tart is ready, use the parchment paper to slide it onto a cooling rack until ready to plate and serve. Delicious warm or room temperature.
Notes:
If you don’t have boiled apple cider (apple cider that has been boiled and condensed until it is a syrup), you can substitute maple syrup and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice over the top before baking.
If you are using another fruit besides apples, use the maple syrup.
Bon appetit!
Tomato Tart
When the heirloom tomatoes hit the farmers market or, even better, your own tomatoes are ready for harvest, try this beautiful tart as an alternative to a tomato pie. The nutty Gruyère cheese and fresh basil pop the flavor of the tomatoes. The pepper and cheese in the crust add surprising bite.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
12 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
⅓ cup ice cold water
2 to 3 large flavorful tomatoes, peeled
10 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cheese in a bowl. Toss the butter in the flour mixture to coat all sides of the cubes. Using your fingers, smash and blend the butter cubes into the flour. The mixture should have some smaller and larger clumps of butter and be a bit uneven.
Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture. Using a rubber scraper, toss and press the mixture together until it begins to come together in a shaggy cohesive dough. It should hold together when you squeeze some in your hands.
Transfer the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper or a silicone rolling mat. Using the parchment or mat, press the dough together into a rough rectangle. Gather the dry bits on top of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds like an envelope. Using the mat, compress it together again into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle in thirds again, gathering up any loose bits into the middle. If needed, moisten the dough by spritzing once or twice with a spray bottle filled with cold water. You don’t want to overhandle the dough, but you want it to come together.
When the pastry comes together, shape it into a circle. On a lightly floured surface, roll the outer edge of the circle to even it out and make it easier to roll into a more perfectly formed circle later. Wrap the circle in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to overnight.
When you are ready to bake the tart shell, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Allow the pastry to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes until soft enough to roll but still cold to the touch. On a lightly floured surface, roll from the center of the disc to the outside, turning the dough ⅛ of a turn after each roll until you get a roughly 13-inch round. Drape the pastry over an 11-inch tart shell. Lightly press into the bottom and sides. Leave the extra pastry draped over the side. Place the tart pan on a sheet pan lined with foil. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Cover the pastry lightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the pastry shell with foil. Use pie weights or dried beans to fill the inside of the tart and up the sides. Bake at 350 F for an hour. Remove the weights and let the crust cool on a rack. Trim the extra crust away and enjoy as a kitchen treat. Leave no crust behind.
While the tart crust is baking, slice the tomatoes in ½-inch slices. Sprinkle them with salt and allow tomatoes to drain on a rack for 20 minutes. Pat them dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.
Brush the bottom of the cooked tart crust with Dijon mustard. Sprinkle the Gruyère cheese evenly across the bottom. Chiffonade the basil leaves and scatter half over the cheese. Artfully arrange the tomato slices overtop the cheese and basil in a single layer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place the tart on the baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese bubbly. Allow the tart to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan and serving. Can be served warm or room temperature.
