pleasure in simple things

You may already know of my infatuation with the Beekman Boys.  I had the good fortune to meet them at the Philadelphia Flower Show this past year and then, lucky enough to see them again at the Country Living Magazine Fair this past month.

I adore their dessert cookbook and now, I am equally enamored with their new vegetable cookbook. The first recipe I tried from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook was the tomato tart and it is definitely a winner!

I was so excited by the results; I decided to bring you into my kitchen for Friday field trip this week to share the recipe for this easy and delicious tomato tart.  Using heirloom tomatoes in a variety of sizes and colors helped my tarts resemble works of art!  Everyone should include this recipe in their summer repertoire as an elegant way to serve up the summer harvest!

I suggest purchasing some interesting varieties of tomatoes at your local farmer’s market (or use some from your own garden) and create this awesome tart making sure to include some of your favorite wine and favorite friends!

Tomato Tart Recipe

Ingredients

• Flour, for rolling the pastry
• 1 sheet (about 8 oz.) frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed but still cold
• 2 Tabs olive oil
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, drained
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ pound assorted tomatoes, cored, cut into slices, and halved

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pastry to a 10 x 15 inch rectangle and transfer it to the baking sheet.

With a paring knife, score a border 1 inch in from the edge all around the rectangle, cutting into, but not through, the dough.  With a fork, prick the dough inside the border all over (this will allow border to rise higher than the center that’s been pricked). Brush the center with 1 tablespoon oil.

In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, goat cheese, eggs, basil, ½ tsp salt, and pepper.  Spread mixture over the center of puff pastry sheet.  Top with tomatoes, overlapping slightly.  Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining ¼ tsp salt and remaining 1 Tab oil.

Bake 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is set.

This recipe is for one tart…I doubled it to make two and found it is almost easier to plan on making two when purchasing the ingredients (quantities of goat cheese, ricotta, and puff pastry – 2 sheets come in a box – were easier to purchase for two.)

Keep this recipe handy for when your garden tomatoes become abundant – it is a super way to celebrate your garden treasures!  If you are interested in more recipes for vegetables, there are many more great ones (and stunning photographs) in The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge – ‘The Fabulous Beekman Boys’ – discussing the newly released The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook with me at the Country Living Magazine Fair 2014 in Rhinebeck, NY.

I think this recipe is the perfect one to start the summer!  Enjoy! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. My friend Phyllis planted a white variety of tomatoes in her garden this year…how cool would they look in this tart?

Sharing at Crafts a la Mode.