Summer is not my favorite time of the year. It’s so hot and humid and just plain icky. But, there is one thing I love during the summer and that’s fresh tomatoes. Nothing beats a freshly picked tomato. I ask that you please bare with me the next several weeks as my focus is on tomatoes and other summer veggies. I have to focus on something so that Fall will hurry up and get here. If you didn’t know, I LOVE fall and I love pumpkin so consider yourselves warned.
Fresh Tomato Tart with Basil-Garlic Crust
- 1 recipe Basil and Garlic Tart Dough
- 8oz mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 1lb), cored, and cut crosswise into thin slices
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1. Prepare the dough, and press it into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (The tart shell can be refrigerated for several hours if desired)
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of the tart shell with mozzarella. Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in a ring around the edge of the tart and a second ring in the center, slightly overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has started to brown in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes before slicing. (The tart may be covered and kept at room temperature for 6 hours.)
Basil-Garlic Tart Dough:
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 medium garlic clove
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2tsp kosher salt
- 8tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8-10 pieces
- 4-5tbs ice water
1. Place the basil and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until finely chopped. Add flour and salt; pulse to combine.
2. Add butter. Pulse about 10 times, or until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
3. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition. After 4 tablespoons water have been added, process the dough for several seconds to see if the mixture forms a ball. If not, add remaining water. Process until dough forms into a ball. Remove dough from processor.
4. Flatten the dough into a 5-inch disk. Wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough can be placed in a zipper-lock plastic bag and refrigerated for several days or frozen for 1 month. If frozen, defrost the dough in the refrigerator.)
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Lay the dough over the tart pan, and press it into the pan. Trim the dough, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
Source: The Complete Italian Vegetarian by Jack Bishop