Tomato Cheddar Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Unroll 1 pie dough into a round. Arrange three 4 1/4-inch nonstick tartlet pans on the dough and use a paring knife to cut a circle of dough around each that is about 1/2 inch larger than the pan; these don't have to be perfect, but you want to make sure you cut enough excess dough to fill the pan and up the sides. Press the dough evenly into each pan; if any excess dough goes over the top, simply use the top edge of the tartlet pan to cut it away. Use a fork to dock the bottom of the pie crusts. Repeat this process with 3 more tartlet pans and the remaining pie dough. Place the 6 tartlet pans on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes sit for 10 to 15 minutes for the flavors to combine.
• Bake the crusts until the dough is cooked part of the way through without any color and bubbles form on the bottom and sides, about 6 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• To each tartlet, add about 3 tablespoons of grated Cheddar and spread evenly over the bottom. Top the cheese in each with 8 tomato halves cut-side up, making sure to get some garlic with each tomato. Bake until the crusts are golden brown, the cheese is bubbling and the tomatoes are softened but have not burst, about 30 minutes. Let cool until cool enough to handle, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the tartlets from the tart pans and garnish with small basil leaves.
• These tartlets can be stored in the refrigerator after they have cooled completely and reheated in the oven the next day for great leftovers!

Steps:

• Place the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the egg yolks and pulse a few times to combine. With the motor running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and roll it into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a large bowl. Put the parsley, basil, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely minced. With the processor running, pour the olive oil down the feed tube and process until combined. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and toss gently. Set aside.
• On a well-floured board, roll the dough out to an 11 x 17-inch rectangle and transfer it to the prepared sheet pan. Don't worry if it doesn't fit exactly; you want it to cover most of the bottom of the pan but it can be a little rough on the sides. Place a second sheet pan directly on the pastry and bake for 15 minutes. (You can also line the pastry with foil and fill it with dried beans.) Remove the top sheet pan (or the beans and foil). Using a dinner fork, pierce the pastry in many places. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Check the pastry during baking; pierce any spots that bubble up. Allow the crust to cool for 15 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the mustard on the crust with a pastry brush. Sprinkle a thick even layer of Gruyere on the pastry, reserving 1/2 cup for the top, and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Place overlapping tomatoes in rows on top. If there is a little garlic and herb mixture in the bowl, sprinkle it over the tomatoes, but if there is liquid in the bowl, strain it through a very-fine-mesh strainer, discard the liquid, and sprinkle the garlic and herb mixture on the tomatoes. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of Gruyere and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool slightly, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the crust:
• Pulse salt, sugar, and 1 1/4 cups flour in a food processor until well combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining, about 10 seconds. With the motor running, add 1/4 cup ice water and process until dough just holds together, about 30 seconds. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers; if it's very crumbly, add more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time (2 Tbsp. maximum). Do not over-process.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together to form a rough ball. Knead a few times to combine, then roll into a ball. Flatten ball into a disc with smooth edges (no cracks), cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Make the filling and bake the pie:
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Arrange tomato slices on prepared sheet, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt, and cover with more paper towels. Let drain at least 30 minutes.
• Position rack in bottom rung of oven and preheat to 350°F. After dough has chilled, lightly flour work surface and roll out dough to a 13" round. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin, then release into pie pan. Trim edges to leave a 1" overhang and crimp as desired. Freeze dough at least 15 minutes.
• Line crust with parchment paper or foil and fill bottom with baking beans or weights. Bake crust, rotating halfway through, 20 minutes. Remove weights, pierce bottom of crust all over with a fork, and bake again until very light brown and dry, about 10 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium. Add onion, butter, and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and just starting to brown, 5-8 minutes. Let cool.
• Combine cheese, mayonnaise, herbs, hot sauce, pepper, onion mixture, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Blot tomatoes with fresh paper towels to remove as much remaining moisture as possible. Arrange tomato slices in pie shell and top with filling; smooth.
• Bake pie, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw before using. Tomato pie can be chilled for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Make the pastry first. Put the flour, butter, cheddar and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times, just until the butter and cheese are in smaller pieces. Measure 150ml of very cold water into a jug. Drizzle the water into the pastry, little by little, pulsing between additions, until it comes together into a rough ball - it will feel quite doughy. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, in a pan over a low heat, very gently soften the onions in the butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the sugar, thyme and sage, turn up the heat and cook for a few mins more until golden and sticky. Season and set aside to cool a little.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Dust a big baking sheet with more flour, then roll out the pastry on it to a rough circle, a little more than 0.5cm thick. Mix the onions with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
• Leaving a good 5cm border all the way round, spread the onion mixture over the base, then arrange the tomatoes on top. Hand-roll and pinch the pastry edges up around the filling, pressing firmly to hold. Scatter over more thyme, plenty of seasoning and a pinch of sugar. Can now be covered and chilled for up to 12 hrs.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a big salad, if you like.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 3. Blitz the flour, butter and cheddar in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg and whizz again until it forms a ball.
• Lightly dust a cool surface with flour and roll out the pastry. Line a 24cm loose-bottom tart tin with the pastry, then chill for 10 mins. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and baking beans and continue to cook for a further 10 mins, then remove from the oven.
• Mix together the Dijon mustard and crème fraîche and spread evenly over the pastry base. Halve the tomatoes, remove the stalk and arrange in the pastry case. Sprinkle with thyme and freshly ground black pepper. Return the tart to the middle of the oven and cook for 30 mins. Reduce the heat to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and cook for a further 30 mins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Add the cheese crackers to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 20-30 seconds, until the crackers are broken down into crumbs.
• Add the flour, salt, and pepper to the food processor and blend for 20-30 seconds to incorporate into the cracker crumbs.
• Add the butter and cheddar cheese and blend for 30-60 seconds, until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces.
• Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar and 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix with your hands to combine. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together well, feels slightly damp, and does not crumble when pressed.
• Shape the dough into a disc and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
• Lightly dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour. Set the chilled dough on the floured surface and begin to roll out the dough, starting from the center and working your way outwards, applying even pressure. The fewer passes of the rolling pin over the dough, the more tender the crust will be. Rotate the dough as you roll it out, using a bench scraper, as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. If the dough begins to feel sticky, lightly dust with more flour. Roll the dough out to ⅛- to ¼-inch (3 mm - 6 mm) thick. The dough should be wide enough to fit into a 11-inch (27 cm) tart pan with some excess dough overhanging.
• Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and transfer to the tart pan, gently draping it over. Press the dough down into the bottom of the pan and up the walls. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to trim the edges. Transfer the tart crust to the refrigerator to chill while you cut out dough strips for the top.
• Gather the excess dough into a ball. Shape the dough in a rectangle and roll out to about 4 inches wide (10 cm) and 12 inches (30 cm) long, ⅛- to ¼-inch (3 mm - 6 mm) thick. Using a pastry cutter, trim off any excess dough so you are left with an even rectangle. Cut out ¼-inch and ½-inch-wide (6 mm - 12 mm) strips of dough. Transfer dough strips to plate and transfer to the refrigerator while you fill the tart crust.
• Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and spread the mustard over the bottom of the crust. Cover the bottom of the crust with the cheddar cheese. Add a layer of tomato slices, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ tablespoon of thyme, and half of the shallots. Repeat with a second layer of tomatoes and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ tablespoon thyme, and shallots.
• Remove the dough strips from the refrigerator, and create a decorative lattice design over the tart.
• Brush the beaten egg all over any exposed dough, including the edges around the tart pan.
• Bake the tart for 40-45 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown and crisp to the touch.
• Let the tart cool for 20 minutes to allow the tomato juices to absorb.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh thyme leaves.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• With the rack in lowest position, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• On floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into 8inch by 10inch rectangle and cut into 2inch by 4inch rectangles.
• Place on baking sheet.
• Brush dough with the mustard.
• Scatter some basil leaves over the dough, then tomatoes.
• Season and sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
• Cut pie into squares and garnish with fresh basil.
• Serve immediately, as an appetizer or starter.
• *Good Canadian Aged Cheddar will enhance the flavour of this wonderful tart.
• **Cheese alternatives: Canadian Swiss, Gouda, Provolone, Raclette, Feta.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 3. Blitz the flour, butter and cheddar in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add one lightly beaten egg and whizz again until it forms a ball. Use the pastry to line 4 individual tart cases, then chill for 10 mins. Line the pastry cases with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 7 -10 mins until the pastry feels dry. Remove the paper and baking beans and continue to cook for a further 2 - 3 mins until lightly golden, then remove from the oven.
• Make the custard by mixing the remaining eggs into the Dijon mustard and crème fraiche. Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes on the base of the tarts, sprinkle over the thyme leaves and pour over the custard. Bake for 10 mins, turn the oven down to 150C/fan 130C/gas 3, then bake for a further 15 mins until the custard is just set. Cool slightly before serving.