sweet tart

"If I had a penny for everything I loved about you, I would have many pennies."

-Waitress

After watching Waitress, and being totally inspired by Keri Russell and her beautiful and innovative pies, I just had to try my hand at making one. Instead of making a sweet pie, I opted for a savory one after getting a tip from Real Simple magazine, on "Great Recipes for Summer Tomatoes."

Tomato Tart
Prep time: 40 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6

You'll need:

• 1 - 9 inch pie pan (mine was Pyrex for about $6, works great!)
• Frozen Pastry Dough (Pepperidge Farm worked well!)
• Butter (~2 T. for greasing the pie pan)
• 6-7 Roma tomatoes, seeded
• 2 T. Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 6 or 8 Basil leaves, torn
• 1 - 3 or 4 oz. container of Chevre (dental floss for slicing)
• 3 or 4 oz. Fontina Cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Remove pastry dough (1 sheet) from freezer. Place between two damp paper towels to thaw. (Should take ~20 minutes until it is pliable).

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Halve the tomatoes, and remove their seeds by gently squeezing them over the sink.

4. Roughly chop the tomatoes into 1 inch pieces.

5. In a medium bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, torn basil, crushed garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for 10 or 15 minutes.

6. Grease the pie pan WELL using butter.

7. When the pastry dough is pliable, unfold it and use a rolling pin to make it an even thickness (should be about 1/4 in. thick).

8. GENTLY place the pastry dough into the pie pan, taking care to release any air bubbles. Trim the excess pie crust using a paring knife.

9. Using dental floss, make thin slices of the chevre, and line the bottom of the pie crust.

10. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chopped tomato mixture into the pie crust (on top of the chevre). Try to minimalize the liquid that gets into the pie crust (it's ok to have some, but you don't want tomato stew).

11. Next, grate the fontina cheese over the top of the tomatoes. You should have a nice, even layer when you're done.

12. Finally, brush any exposed pastry dough with butter to prevent burning while it bakes.

13. Place your tart into the 375 oven for about 35-45 minutes (until the pastry is brown and flaky, and the cheese on top becomes golden.

14. When you take your tart out of the oven, let it cool for about 15-20 minutes-you'll have six lovely slices to show off!

Serve with:

• Lemon pasta (see post "When Life Hands You Lemons")
• A tossed spring mix salad with shaved carrots & balsamic vinagrette
• Chilled Chardonnay (Simi is especially nice).