Tomato Tart or How to Make Pretty with Fall Tomatoes

I made this several weeks ago when the days were longer and the nights were warmer. But, at least here in Western Oregon, a few tomatoes still survive on the vine—they aren’t quite as pretty as their August cousins but they still taste good and to beat the frost they need to be picked fast.

One of the many reasons I love savory tarts is that they are light and vibrant looking enough to serve al fresco on warm days but still substantial enough to satisfy when the air turns crisp. I adapted this recipe from one I found on Epicurious (originally from Gourmet, RIP) I made the crust with a bit of whole-wheat flour and cracked pepper to give it some heft and for the cheeses in the filling I used what ever was on hand. One of the comments suggested using a salad spinner to remove some of the juice and seeds from the tomatoes. GREAT idea. I took those tomatoes for a spin three times and was surprised by the amount of juice and seeds I extracted. Without that step the tart would have been soupy and/or soggy.

Here is a list of the ingredients I used to give you an idea how flexible this recipe is.

For the crust

½ cup WW flour

1 ½ cups unbleached AP flour

¾ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Several turns of fresh cracked black pepper

For the filling

1 Walla Walla onion

½ red onion

Tsp olive oil for sautéing

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

½ cup shredded Romano

½ cup shredded mozzarella

2 ½ cups assorted cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and given several spins in the salad spinner

Fresh chives, minced (for garnish)