Since I was a little girl, I have absolutely loved tomatoes. Growing up my dad use to make a tomato pie that was so heavenly I would devour this thing as if it were my last meal. When I got married and moved out, my dad showed me how to make his tomato pie, he used frozen bread dough and a marinara sauce to make his, but I wanted to make mine into more of a tart and with a garlicky, creamy cheese topping very similar to how I make my garlic bread spread. This is similar to my Provençal Tomato and Gruyère Galette but this is an Italian version, made with mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and a twist on my signature garlic bread spread.
This is so simple with not many ingredients, it comes together in no time, yet it is so elegant and sublime. I love to serve this warm but can be eaten at room temperature. Making the most of my farm to table bounty here is yet another farm inspired dish from my trip to the farmer’s market. This is sadly the last of the good Heirloom tomatoes until next year, so I am pleased to share this with you!
I hope you give my Rustic Italian Heirloom Tomato Tart a try. It is an homage to my father and his love of family and food. I am so glad he was able to instill those values in me, and I am so thankful to share that with my family and all of you! Mangia.
Sinfully,
Susan xoxo
I love these beauties. You can use Roma tomatoes, but I just love the taste and the delicateness of the Heirloom tomatoes. Start with the freshest tomatoes possible.
Look how lovely this is so far. For best results pre-bake the empty tart in a 450° oven for 7 minutes to allow the crust to start to set to hold the juices from the tomatoes. After 7 minutes, remove from oven and drop the temperature to 375°, immediately sprinkle with the reserved three tbsp. of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and a 1/4 cup of the mozzarella. Set crust aside for a minute.
Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, the rest of the cheeses the minced garlic, fresh basil and Italian seasoning, season with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Mix well. Begin to layer sliced tomatoes, on top of the tart, placing to fill in the bottom as tightly as you can without overlapping. Use heirloom grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved to fill in gaps. Spread the garlic mayonnaise mixture evenly over the tomatoes and bake in a 375° oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove from oven and cool for at least five minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Mangia.
I just love the way this tastes, and the way my tart cooked up perfectly. Nothing wrong with using store-bought pie crust in a pinch. My preferred if it isn’t from scratch, is Pillsbury.
This smells so insanely delicious I can hardly contain myself. I think my Daddy would be proud of this version of his Italian Tomato Pie.
To say I ate this with wild abandon is an understatement. It was soooo cheesy good I was in heaven!
Enjoy!
Rustic
A simple but elegant Italian inspired tart that is full of flavor, super easy and oh so satisfying!
- You can use vine ripe tomatoes if you cannot find Heirloom tomatoes, just use farm fresh or garden tomatoes.
Credit: CrazySexySavor.com
Ingredients
- 3 large heirloom tomatoes and mixed heirloom grape tomatoes about 6-8 is all you need
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese divided, (1/4 cup reserved for the garlic cheese mixture)
- 1 1/2 tsp. of Italian seasoning
- 1 refrigerator pie crust or homemade if you so desire
- Kosher Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese (3 tbsp. reserved)
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. of Fresh Basil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°. Line a tart pan with a removal bottom for ease in serving, with refrigerator pie crust. Press against tart pan edges to even crust out. Place in oven for 7 minutes. Remove and immediately sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and 3 tbsp. of Pecorino Romano cheese. Immediately drop oven temperature to 375 °. Set tart aside.
- Slice heirloom tomatoes into thin slices. Place on paper towels to absorb juice. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, minced garlic, chopped basil and the remainder of the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano Cheese. Mix well to combine. Add in Italian seasoning. (This is very similar to my garlic bread spread, except I add a stick of unsalted butter to this, and I use Italian flat leaf parsley in place of the basil, but it takes garlic bread to a whole new level and it’s my secret for the best damn garlic bread, ever!)
- Layer heirloom tomatoes using the small grape tomatoes to fill in the gaps. On top of the tomato slices, spread the garlic/mayo mixture evenly over the tomatoes and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool five minutes before slicing. Mangia!
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