Heirloom Tart
Summertime in our house is tomato time. Tomatoes are abundant, in season, and the best part is that they are also good for you. Tomatoes have the antioxidant lycopene and can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are also a great source of Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, and Vitamin K. This cheesy heirloom tomato tart is light enough to enjoy all summer. Your family will fall in love with this easy-to-make tart.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Have you ever tried an heirloom tomato? There are over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. They are not the most beautiful tomatoes, as they look wrinkled and less attractive than smooth round tomatoes, but the texture is fantastic and they taste amazing. They come in irregular shapes and sizes and can be found in many different colors: yellow, green, red, purple, and brown. To me, they taste much less acidic than regular tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are not mass-produced, which makes them more expensive than other tomatoes. Fewer heirlooms are available than hybrids, which makes their price higher. Heirlooms do not have thick skins to protect them during transportation so it is harder to package and transport them to other places. To be considered an heirloom tomato it must be:
- able to reproduce itself from seed, which is called open-pollinated propagation. Heirlooms are from a single genetic composition, while hybrids are created for high productivity, ease of packaging, and to be easily transported.
- must be from seeds at least 50 years old. The variety must have been developed and preserved outside of the commercial seed trade.
- each variety must have its own history, which may be related to a particular ethnic group, climate, or region.
This tomato tart is not difficult or intimidating. You need a few ingredients that you probably have in your house already. The balsamic glaze is so lovely on top, try not to skip that step!
Tips for Tomatoes
- Keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. Tomatoes should be kept on the counter.
- If you want to ripen tomatoes indoors, store them in a very dark place away from heat and light.
- The best way to cut a tomato is with a serrated knife.
This recipe is so easy to make. Your kids could make it by themselves if you cut the tomatoes for them. It is a perfect meatless meal to enjoy when you do not know what you want to make. It is so versatile it can be a main course with a salad, an appetizer, or a side dish. It is a perfect dish for lunch or dinner.
Heirloom Tart step by step instructions:
Slice your tomatoes and place them on a paper towel. Add a little salt on top. Turn the tomatoes over and put them on a fresh piece of paper towel and let them sit for a few more minutes. You want to try to get the moisture out of the tomatoes so your tart does not get soggy.
Make your ricotta cheese spread and set it aside.
Puff pastry comes in many shapes and sizes. I typically use one big sheet and unfold it. My store only had the smaller sheets, so we lined them up next to each other and it worked fine. Keep the puff pastry in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Poke holes with a fork in the puff pastry so it does not puff up too much.
Brush olive oil on top of the puff pastry.
Spread your ricotta cheese mixture all over the puff pastry.
Arrange your heirloom tomatoes on top of the ricotta cheese.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese.
Bake 10-15 minutes more until the cheese is slightly brown.
Enjoy this delicious heirloom tart as is, or add some balsamic glaze drizzle for a little more flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of fresh tomatoes
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 2 tsp and 1 TB olive oil
- puff pastry
- 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Wash the heirloom tomatoes and cut them in 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Place sliced tomatoes on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and season them with a little salt.
- Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Flip them over on a clean paper towel and add a little more salt and let sit 3-5 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 °
- Make the cheese filling.
- In a small bowl combine ricotta, chopped garlic, italian seasoning, and olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Keep your puff pastry in the freezer until you are ready to use it.
- Place the puff pastry onto your pan.
- Using a fork, make small holes all over the dough.
- Brush the dough with olive oil.
- Spread the ricotta cheese filling on top.
- Gently place the tomato slices over the ricotta.
- Drizzle olive oil on top and add black pepper if you like it.
- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and add your shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy and the mozzarella cheese is starting to become light brown.
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing and really easy to make recipe! Very helpful to make and easy to follow! Will have this again for sure! Highly recommended!
So glad you liked it, thanks for stopping by!
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What a beautiful Heirloom Tart! I bet that sweet and tangy balsamic glaze is the prefect compliment to this dish, I can’t wait to try it .
This recipe sounds amazing with the heirloom tomatoes and the ricotta spread. Making this instead of pizza for a change of pace.
I call this my healthier version of pizza. It is so delicious as a summer treat.