Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Oh I love this.

I think you will too.This is one of those things that you make for the family and by the time the family actually arrives at the table….most of it is…well, gone. Yes, I admit it. I nibbled at this so much, almost an entire slice was missing before dinner even started.

Ok, I feel better now. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?

The first time I made this I had a friend over for lunch. A looooong time ago when she and I actually had time for things like that. You know, time for things like…lunch. I made this delicious tart, a simple green salad and some grilled shrimp. We could not get enough of this tart. It is shameful to say that I think said friend and I consumed the entire tart.

Just the two of us.

It was sad.

It was so good though.

I would do it all over again if I had the chance.

I will not name this friend in lieu that she comes over for lunch soon and we can repeat the whole process again. I probably won’t even make the shrimp and salad this time. I mean, who needs that when you have a whole tart to consume. Then we can feel better about ourselves and say, “well, we only had tomato tart for lunch.” It almost sounds like a diet if you say it that way.

It was just that good.

Although this is called an “Heirloom” Tomato tart, I have found using almost any sort of tomato works. This last time I made it, I actually just sliced cherry tomatoes in half and dumped them on. It was pretty to look at. It was very hard to eat. All of the tomatoes kept falling off, but I didn’t mind. That’s what a fork is for.

Feel free to use any combination. If you are using large tomatoes, slice thinly and layer in a pretty circular pattern. If using smaller tomatoes, make sure to cut them in half so you don’t have them bursting all over your oven. I made this tart and served it for dinner with some grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and a green salad. It was a hit. The only bad news that night was that there were no leftovers for my lunch the next day.

I hate it when that happens.

Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Cornmeal Shell:

2/3 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tblsp cold, unsalted butter, diced
2 tblsp olive oil
4-5 tblsp cold water

Filling:

5 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1 1/2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices or 1 1/2 lbs of your favorite tomatoes
1 tblsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper until combined. Add butter and olive oil, pulse until crumbly-DO NOT let the mixture turn into a big ball of dough. Add water slowly through chute while processor is on. You should have a smooth dough mixture.

Remove dough from processor and form into a tight ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove, unwrap and with a rolling pin coated lightly with flour, roll dough into a 12 diameter circle. Press into a 11 inch fluted tart pan, pressing dough lightly into sides and bottom. Bake tart shell at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on the bottom. Top with tomatoes. Over tomatoes, sprinkle thyme, salt and pepper. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Allow tart to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

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