We have company visiting; both are vegetarians so in an effort to be the ultimate hostess, I gave considerable thought about what to cook. Last night's late supper is something that has immediately been added to my list of favorites and will reside as part of my current repertoire. And the best part -- it's so simple!
I had never made a tart before, although I've made plenty of pies. The only difference in making a tart as opposed to a pie crust is the way you deal with the edges. For a tart, you fold the excess (a half-inch or so) over inside the pan and press it against the edge to reinforce it. I made my basic pie crust, pricked the bottom and edges and baked it at 375 degrees for 33 minutes -- 20 minutes with weights (I use navy beans on foil instead of purchased pie weights) and 13 minutes without weights.
While the crust cooled, I sliced a large onion into very, very thin slices and cooked them for 25 minutes in 2 T. olive oil, adding salt and pepper to my liking. The onions weren't quite caramelized, but they were very close. I spread them evenly over the prepared crust and then took a heaping cup of goat cheese and spread it over the onions. I sliced small tomatoes as thinly as I could and put them on top of the goat cheese, overlapping the edges and covering every single inch of the cheese. A little olive oil drizzle (about 1 T.) and about 1/3 cup more goat cheese, and ta-da, it's ready for the broiler. Put this under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes until the cheese starts to brown slightly.
I put chopped fresh basil on it before I put it under the broiler, but I would recommend putting the basil on after it comes out of the broiler, just before you serve it. The freshness of the basil was compromised by cooking it.
My daughter suggested when I took it out of the oven, I should "Hot tart coming through . . . and she's got dinner!" I didn't say it, but I thought it was funny.
This was so good, I could make it again tonight and be very happy.
3 comments:
My mouth is watering!! And I regret to say, I've been so involved with 3SIXTY5, I haven't even sown any basil yet. But--it's a long weekend!
This sounds great! There is a couple we want to invite to dinner, but we have hesitated because she is vegetarian and we weren't sure what to serve. I think we will give this a try! Thanks.
Update: I tried this with phyllo dough, putting the onions and some pesto between the layers. I used about 10 layers. I had never worked with phyllo, but this was easy and I loved the result.
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