This tart is a quick recipe I made up while daydreaming at work last week. It was hot and I just wanted something light and tartine like but without the bread. The flavors of caprese salad also came to mind because our food coop just received a bunch of local grape tomatoes from Wisconsin (thanks Claire!). Rather than using a traditional pastry crust, I went with a savory version of an almond based crust I made a few years ago for a gluten free chocolate tart. I added hazelnuts and lemon for flavor and I am sure adding various herbs would be nice too. And, since you are essentially filling a fully baked crust, if you have another recipe you prefer I say go for it. I used enough goat cheese to make a thin filling layer but you could certainly make it much thicker by using more cheese. You could also play with the flavor by adding herbs or zest or simply mixing various types of cheeses. I experimented with flavor by using a couple of strong Brie cheeses. And, of course, you don’t need to use tomato and basil. Rather, you could use any seasonal produce you enjoy. This kind of recipe is endlessly adaptable and makes a nice, light summer meal.
Goat cheese tart with basil and tomato
For the crust:
1 cup almonds
1 cup hazelnuts
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
zest of 1 medium sized lemon
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
>Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-10 inch tart pan and set aside.
>In a food processor, grind almonds and hazelnuts into fine pieces. Add butter, egg, zest and salt and pulse until dough comes together.
>Turn dough out onto tart pan and press evenly around bottom and edges. Prick bottom lightly with a fork and place in oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown around the edges and set. Cool completely at room temperature.
For the filling:
10 oz soft goat cheese
3-5 tablespoons heavy cream
grape or cherry tomatoes, some halved and some rough chopped
basil to taste (I cut mine into a chiffonade)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
>In a food processor, blend goat cheese with just enough cream to make a spreadable filling (the amount will vary depending on the cheese texture). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
>In a small bowl, combine the rough chopped tomatoes with basil, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. The amounts will totally depend on you (these tomatoes were ultra fresh and wonderful so I did not drown them with too much extra flavor).
>Spread the goat cheese mixture into the tart shell. Decorate the outer edge with halved tomatoes. Pile the basil and tomato mix into the center and season with a little fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!
