Heirloom Tomato Tart
Published July 22, 2020

- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Dough for a 9-inch single crust pie, or use store-bought, rolled into an 11-inch round (see Note)
- 1½pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes (about 4 medium)
- ¼cup store-bought pesto
- ¾cup shredded mozzarella (about 3 ounces)
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
- 3large eggs
- ⅓cup heavy cream
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fit the rolled-out dough into a 9-inch tart pan, allowing the edges to rise about ¼ inch above the rim of the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
- Step 2
Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes until beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into ½-inch slices. Place in a colander to drain excess tomato liquid for 20 minutes.
- Step 4
Spread ¼ cup pesto in an even layer over the parbaked tart crust. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pesto. Sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the cheese.
- Step 5
In a medium bowl, prepare the custard: Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper until combined.
- Step 6
Place the sliced tomatoes evenly over the cheese and herbs in overlapping concentric circles.
- Step 7
Pour the custard evenly over the tomato slices. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the liquid. Bake until the filling is set and won’t jiggle when shaken, about 35 minutes.
- Step 8
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving warm. This tart can also be served at room temperature.
- Packaged pie dough is an excellent shortcut for weeknight meals, and the tart crust can be parbaked a day in advance.
Private Notes
Comments
Tip from Cathy Barrow which has worked for me - put an upside down sheet pan in oven as you preheat and place tart pan on top to cook. Really helps eliminate that soggy bottom.
This was a really terrific dish! All the best flavors of pizza and quiche rolled into one. My whole family loved it, including my youngest, who is a very picky eater. I had to increase the cook time by about 5 minutes to get it to firm up because of the juices released by the tomatoes during baking. I also found that letting it rest for 20-30 minutes after it came out of the oven really helped it to firm up. Delicious!
Made it and it was terrific. BUT why not change the order of the instructions to read "First slice and drain tomatoes in colander for 20 minutes, etc. Prepare crust. While tomatoes are draining, bake the prepared crust as directed and proceed with the recipe. "
This is a very tasty recipe, but mine turned out a little runny and soupy, even though I drained the tomatoes for at least 20 minutes. I think they needed more time to drain. I used very ripe tomatoes (It's summer!) so maybe using tomatoes that are not so ripe would be better in this recipe.
absolutely delicious!!!! my husband and i both had seconds. excellent taste--used premade pastry, my own pesto and dried oregano/fresh basil, local tomatoes. baked in allotted time to a puffy quiche---highly recommend. will definitely make again
I completely forgot to get pesto and did not have enough basil to make some at home. Instead I mixed ricotta cheese with basil, oregano, garlic, and a little salt and pepper and spread that on the bottom of the crust. Worked beautifully except for the soggy bottom -- my own fault!