Heirloom Tomato Tart

Food

Audio By Carbonatix

Heirloom tomato tart

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz./390 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 1/2 sticks) (10 oz./315 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) ice water, plus more as needed 

For the filling:

• 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) crème fraîche
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 Ibs heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• Sea salt for finishing
• Small fresh basil leaves for finishing
• Extra-virgin olive oil for finishing

A few notes on making this:

• I love making this in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak and taste wonderful—this shows off their flavor beautifully.
• Make the tart crust a day ahead, or earlier in the day from when you want to serve, then make the cheese mixture and assemble just before eating. 
• I also love making this with goat cheese for a tangier cheese base. 
• You can use large or small heirloom tomatoes—a combination of both looks especially pretty. 
• Whatever you do, do not refrigerate your tomatoes. Buy them ripe and use quickly. Refrigerating tomatoes ruins their taste and texture. 

Directions:

• To make the tart dough, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse 2 or 3 times to combine.
• Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 5 to 10 seconds. 
• With the motor running, add the egg yolks and ice water and process until the dough just begins to form a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick to fit a 10 1/4-inch (26-cm) round tart pan. 
• Press the dough into the pan and trim by rolling a rolling pin over the top. 
• Place the pan on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to overnight wrapped.
• Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
• When ready to bake, prick the center of the dough with a fork. 
• Place a sheet of parchment or tin foil on top of the dough and fill the pan with pie weights. 
• Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the crust is baked through and light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the tart pan, about 35 minutes. 
• Release the tart from the pan and set on a cake stand or serving platter.
• In a bowl, combine the ricotta and crème fraîche and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Using a small offset spatula, spread the mixture into the cooled tart shell. 
• Top with the tomato slices and sprinkle with sea salt, a few grinds of pepper, basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Serve immediately.