A buttery and flaky crust holds a tasty filling of herbs, garlic, and tomatoes. Use your garden bounty to make a Cherry Tomato and Basil Tart.
I first created this recipe when my husband, a teacher at the time, came home from school with six pints of cherry tomatoes.
A farm-to-table program supplied them to the school, through a program designed to bring fresh and locally grown produce into kids' school lunches.
It's a great program, but unfortunately that week the kids were apparently not diggin' the cherry tomatoes. The leftovers were made available to staff. He came home with tons of the little jewel-toned beauties and said, "I figured you could do something with them."
Heck yeah!
Why you'll love this recipe
This tart will get you with its looks and its flavor. The sliced tomatoes are so pretty laid out across this tart. Concentric circles are my favorite way to showcase them, but you can really get creative—especially if you have a few different colors of cherry or grape tomatoes.
And the flavors! Garlic, basil, Parmesan... need I continue? They're irresistible together in this savory tart.
Holding everything together is a flaky shell made with my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Recipe.
Make one for brunch or lunch, and especially for any kind of potluck gathering you may have going on.
🔪 How to make a Cherry Tomato and Basil Tart
Ingredients:
- Pie crust dough: Use my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Recipe.
- Cherry tomatoes: All red or multi-colored.
- Olive oil: I use extra-virgin.
- Garlic: It's minced and added to the filling.
- Basil leaves: Fresh leaves are crucial here.
- Parmesan cheese: Shred yourself or buy pre-shredded.
- Salt: Yummy, yummy salt.
Step 1: Prepare the dough
Roll out the Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Dough into a circle larger than your tart pan. Carefully fit the dough into the pan, trimming and tucking the overhang on the edges. Cover the shell in plastic wrap and hold it in the fridge.
Step 2: Slice the tomatoes
Slice the cherry tomatoes, getting 3-4 slices from each one. Lay them out on a paper towel-lined tray to drain.
Step 3: Prepare the garlic and basil.
Gently and briefly saute the minced garlic in the olive oil. Chiffonade the basil leaves and then run your knife through the slices a few times.
Step 4: Assemble the tart
Preheat the oven. Brush the garlicky oil over the bottom of the tart dough. Scatter the basil over this, followed by the shredded Parmesan. Now get creative with those tomatoes! Lay the slices over the whole tart in a single layer first, then lay more slices over these until they are all in. Brush the tomatoes with more oil.
Step 5: Bake and enjoy!
Bake the tart for just under an hour in total. Allow the tart to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Tips:
- It may seem daunting, the idea of slicing all those cherry tomatoes, but it's actually quite a Zen experience. Have a seat, put on some music, and have a glass of wine (careful though, we're using knives here.) Slice away and before you know it, you'll be done.
Give this beautiful and delicious tart a try. It's worth it, believe me! Use your garden tomatoes or beauties you find at the farmer's market or store.
The recipe is below, and here are a few more ways to enjoy fresh tomatoes:
💬 Have you tried this savory tart? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Tomato and Basil Tart
Ingredients
- ½ Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust Recipe, chilled (or a store-bought pie crust for a single shell pie)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, washed and stems removed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, rinsed and allowed to air-dry
- 1½ cups fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- Have ready a 10-inch nonstick tart pan with removable bottom.
- Roll the pastry dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 13 inches in diameter.
- Carefully place the dough into the tart pan, and press it into the bottom and up along the sides. Have the dough extend over the edge of the pan.
- Trim away excess dough to leave enough to tuck the edge under by about ¼-inch.
- Press plastic wrap over the entire surface of the dough and put the pan into the fridge.
Prepare the tomatoes and filling:
- Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Use a sharp knife and a cutting board to slice the tomatoes, getting 2 to 4 slices from each tomato (depending on the size and squishiness of them.)
- Lay the slices on a lined baking sheet to allow the excess moisture to drain away. Use another paper towel to gently blot moisture from the tops of the slices. Hold the tray aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small pan over medium heat, and add the minced garlic.
- Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes: the garlic should be fragrant and softened, but remove the pan from the heat before it starts to brown. Set the pan aside.
- Prepare the basil: Stack 3 or 4 basil leaves on top of one another, then roll them up starting from the long side closest to you. Use a sharp knife to chiffonade the rolled leaves: slice across the rolled leaves to make thin strips.
- Once all the leaves are cut, run your knife through the pile of leaves a few times to cut the strips into smaller pieces.
Assemble the tart—start with the garlic:
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Remove the tart shell from the fridge and remove the plastic. Use a fork to pierce the crust in several places across the bottom to prevent bubbles from forming.
- Brush the sautéed garlic and oil over the bottom of the crust - keep a little oil aside to brush over the finished tart.
Add the basil:
- Scatter the chopped basil evenly over the bottom. Then sprinkle the shredded Parmesan over the basil.
Then the tomatoes:
- Arrange tomato slices over the cheese, starting with a single layer of tomatoes to cover the cheese. (You can do concentric circles, a spiral, or rows.)
- Once the single layer is finished, lay more tomato slices down to create a second layer. Fill in with the remaining tomatoes until they are all used.
- Sprinkle the salt lightly over the top of the tomatoes. Lightly brush the remaining oil over the surface of the tomatoes.
Bake:
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After these 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Bake the tart for an additional 35 minutes, until the tomatoes look cooked with edges beginning to brown, and the crust has lightly browned.
- Check the tart periodically to be sure the crust isn't browning too fast. If it is, place pieces of foil carefully over the crust edges to protect them.
- Remove the tart from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the over ring from the tart pan, then slice and serve it. Serve it warm or at room temperature.
- Leftover tart slices can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Makes 8 servings.
Notes
- It may seem daunting, the idea of slicing all those cherry tomatoes, but it can actually be quite a Zen experience! Have a seat, put on some music, have a refreshing beverage in reach - maybe wine, (but remember - we're using sharp knives here.) Slice away and before you know, you'll be done.
Nutrition
tampacakegirl
This Cherry Tomato And Basil Tart has all of my favorites in it! Yum! I featured it on my page and everyone loved it. Thank you very much for joining in the celebration of #purebloglove, we enjoy having you each week. I hope to see you on Thursday at 8PM, EST through Sunday night. ~Cydnee