Featuring a crust made with fresh thyme, this tomato tart blends herbs, butter, tomato and goat cheese for a delicious, elegant savory treat.
You’ll find this recipe in the pages of “Market Memories Cookbook,” by Georgeanne Brennan and Ann M. Evans (Elderflower Press, $35), a collection of recipes and stories related to the Davis Farmers Market, which turns 50 this year.
Savory Tomato Tart
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, and more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem, minced
- 6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons chilled, all-vegetable shortening
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
- 5 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 3 to 4 oz goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- Sea or kosher salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Make the crust: In a bowl, combine flour, salt and thyme and whisk to mix. Using a grater, grate the butter into pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter. Cut butter into flour with your hands or a pastry blender. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas.
Sprinkle flour mixture with 3 tablespoons of ice water. Press down on dough with a rubber spatula until dough sticks together, adding rest of ice water if dough will not come together.
Using your hands, shape dough into a ball, then flatten into a 4-inch disc. Dust with flour, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Make the tart: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly flour a smooth, nonstick surface such as marble or wood. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in the shape of a circle, about 14 inches in diameter. Using a cake spatula under the dough, gently lift it, scooting flour underneath if needed, to make sure the dough will not stick to the surface. Roll dough onto a rolling pin for easy placement on a baking sheet, then roll it off the rolling pin onto the baking sheet.
Starting from the center of the crust, place the tomatoes going round in a circle until all the tomatoes are used. Leave a 3-inch space around the edges. Place small portions of the goat cheese, about 1 teaspoon, over the tomatoes throughout the galette.
Fold the 3-inch “lip” of the crust over the filling, allowing it to fold in on itself where necessary to create a circle. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes. Remove galette from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Courtesy of Georgeanne Brennan and Ann M. Evans, “” (Elderflower Press, $35)
