French Tomato Tart

Close up of roasted tomatoes and goat cheese in a tart shell.

Beautiful seasonal summer tart recipe made with buttery pastry and ripe heirloom tomatoes. Adapted from David Leibovitz.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: French

Keyword: appetizer, dijon mustard, French, galette, goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, rustic, summer, tart, tomatoes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)

Ingredients

For the Crust

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
4 ½ ounces COLD unsalted butter cut into cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2-3 large ripe tomatoes more, if using smaller tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
8 ounces (250 g) fresh or slightly aged goat cheese sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon roughly chopped chives

Instructions

To make the dough, start by mixing the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the flour. Do this for about two minutes, until the butter is broken into pea sized pieces.
Whisk together the egg and two tablespoons of cold water, then pour it into the flour mixture. Use a fork to stir the mixture until it comes together, adding one to two additional tablespoons of water until it forms a ball. Do not knead the dough or mix any further. Wrap the ball in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to rolling out.
When ready to assemble the tart, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the rolled out dough to a tart pan (or straight to a baking sheet if making a free form tart). Use the rolling pin to roll over the top edges of the pan in order to cut the excess dough. Save the scraps and roll out to make a mini tart if desired.
Spread the Dijon mustard on the bottom of the tart to form a nice even coat. Transfer the prepared tart dough in the freezer until ready to assemble (or at least 15 minutes). Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the tomatoes into ½ inch thick slices. Remove some of the seeds and drain on paper towels if they are very juicy. Arrange tomatoes around the tart in a nice even layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and half of the thyme. Arrange the slices of goat cheese evenly on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme, then drizzle all over with olive oil.
If you’re baking a free-form tart, gather and fold over the edges to envelope the filling.
Pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the dough is cooked and the cheese is nicely browned. This may take more or less time, depending on your oven, so be sure to keep an eye on it. Sprinkle with chopped chives after removing from the oven.
Allow the tart to cool for at least another 30 minutes before slicing. I know, this is going to be tough. But trust me, the wait is essential, as if you cut into it too soon, the crust will fall apart and the tomato juice will go all over the place.

Notes

I’ve found that depending on the variety of tomatoes you use, they might contain a bit too much liquid. If your tomatoes are very ripe and juicy (which is a good thing), try removing some of the seeds before slicing, and allow the slices to drain on paper towels prior to assembling. This way, you’ll avoid winding up with a soggy crust and watery filling. That's not a good look on anybody.
No tart pan? No problem. You can make a free form tart, which is just as good, and even adds an extra hunk of crust around the edges. And hey, that's never a bad thing. I saved the extra scraps of dough and made a mini free form tart that I hoarded and ate by myself over the sink while the other one baked. I guess you could share yours if you wanted, but hey, I was hungry.

Nutrition