Tomato Tart: 2 Ways

I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “enough with the tomatoes!!” But I can’t seem to stop… Bear with me, though, we’ll be on to winter squash and root veggies ad nauseum soon enough.

I made these two tomato tarts with a green salad for lunch today. I can’t help thinking of this lovely meal as summer’s “last gasp.” The last tomatoes from the garden, the last arugula (I pulled the plants out this morning), the last few heart-breakingly crisp little cukes from our quickly withering vines…

The tarts were inspired by one that a friend made for us this summer. The original recipe, which is much simpler than the one below – just pastry, tomatoes, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper, is from
Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4: Farm Markets & Gardens – a delicious set of cookbooks.

While the Canal House tart was delightful, I had a hankering for something a tad more substantial and less appetizer-like today.

I also had a big hunk of gruyère cheese that was not getting any younger and a simple chevre that I had no other plans for. And since the package of puff pastry I’d bought came with two sheets, I thought, “why not try this tart two ways?” So I made one with the goat cheese and one with the gruyère. But that is where the differences end, otherwise, they were identical.

It’s important to use only the best tomatoes — you want something really sweet and rich for this since the flavor will be first and foremost.

Thankfully, our thyme plant is not bothered by the end of summer (unlike me) and was happy to oblige with a few tender stems.

I am a huge fan of caramelized onions (though to be honest these were not truly caramelized, just sautéed with salt, pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar) so I thought some alliums would make a nice addition, too.

The resulting tarts were mighty toothsome. I loved the addition of the cheese and the sweet onions. My only regret was that I had not thought to scatter some pinenuts on them (so I’ve added that in the recipe below).