These days at #5 we seem to be eating cherry tomatoes 24/7. I’ve been wanting to make these tarts all summer and finally did! I’m we glad I did…they were so good! Whipped up a green salad, voila dinner! You can easily double the recipe to make 8 servings. The best time to make this is in the summer with outdoor-grown cherry tomatoes…I used Sungolds (my desert island tomato) and Sweet 100’s.
Makes 4 (4”) Tarts
For the Tarts:
1 batch Version 2 pie Dough (see below), using 2 cups unbleached flour & 1 cup whole-wheat flour. Roll the leftover scraps into a ball & freeze to use later.
Generous 1 ½ cups of yellow & red cherry tomatoes
Scant 1 ½ Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 ½ cups diced onion
3 Tbsp. EVOO + extra for drizzling or brushing the tomatoes
1 ½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard
¾ cup grated Gruyere cheese, not packed down
Freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: 8 Pitted black olives (I used Italian sun-dried, which worked out very well), cut in half.
Fresh basil leaves, rolled up and sliced chiffonade fashion
Make the Tarts:
Roll out the dough approx. 1/8” thick. Using a small plate (like a bread & butter plate), that’s approximately 1” larger than the widest part of the tart pans, cut out circles, using a thin-bladed knife. Fit the pastry into lightly floured tart pans & fold over the excess so that the sides are thicker that the bottoms. Trim off any excess by rolling the rolling pin across the top of each tart.
Place the pastry-lined tart pans onto a rimmed baking sheet. Prick all over with a fork & chill for at least 1 hour. You could do this the day before you want to bake the tarts.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Remove the tart shells from the fridge. Cover each with a round of baking parchment & fill with either pie weights or dried beans. Place in the oven & bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until they are lightly coloured. Remove the pie weights & parchment, return to the oven & bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the sides & tops of the crusts are slightly golden. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack & cool to room temperature.
In the meantime, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a colander set over a bowl & sprinkle with the salt. Allow the tomatoes to drain for 1 hour, shaking slightly now and again.
In a frying pan over medium to medium-low heat, cook the onion in 3 Tbsp. EVOO until transparent & soft, stirring often, approximately 5 – 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Divide the Dijon mustard between the tart shells & spread on the bottoms with a brush; add the grated cheese & top with the onions. Place the drained tomatoes onto a double thickness of paper towels, to absorb a bit of the excess moisture, then arrange them on top of the onions. Either drizzle or brush the tops of the tomatoes with EVOO & grind a bit of freshly ground pepper over top.
Place the tarts back onto the rimmed baking sheet & return them to the 400 F oven for 15 – 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden & the cheese is melted.
Remove tarts from the oven & allow them to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Helpful link to Making Pie Dough
