I Tried Ina Garten’s Cheesy Tomato Tart (It’s One of Her Favorite Summer Lunches)

I’m a kind of individuals who really makes the recipes they save on Instagram. It would take me some time (like, a yr or two!), however I finally prepare dinner my manner by them as quickly as I discover the time. And within the case of this tacky, summery tomato tart from Ina Garten, the time was now.

I’ve been smitten with this tart ever since Ina shared a snap of it on her feed two years in the past (the recipe can also be revealed in Cooking for Jeffrey). These vibrant summer time tomatoes! The melted cheese! That irresistibly crisp-looking crust! On the time I had a one-month-old son, so hopping into the kitchen wasn’t precisely within the playing cards, however I saved it instantly as a result of I knew I’d finally discover the appropriate second to make it. Right here’s what occurred once I lastly tried it.

From begin to end, plan on about 90 minutes to 2 hours to make this tart. You’ll begin by making the dough within the meals processor. Pulse all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and chilly, unsalted, cubed butter collectively till the butter is the scale of peas. Add egg yolks and pulse to mix. With the machine operating, slowly stream in chilly water and blend simply till the dough comes collectively. Dump onto a flippantly floured floor and form right into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half-hour.

Add sliced tomatoes to a big bowl. Blitz recent parsley, recent basil, garlic, recent thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper within the meals processor till finely minced. With the machine operating, slowly pour in olive oil and blend till mixed. Pour over the tomatoes and toss gently to coat.

On a well-floured floor, roll the dough into an 11×17-inch rectangle. Switch to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place a second sheet pan immediately on high of the dough and bake in a 400°F oven for quarter-hour. Prick the dough throughout with a fork. Bake till flippantly browned, one other 8 to 10 minutes. Cool for quarter-hour. Cut back oven temperature to 375°F.

Coat the crust with a layer of Dijon mustard, adopted by a thick layer of grated Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses. Add the sliced tomatoes in overlapping layers. If essential, pressure any liquid from the leftover herb combination, then unfold the herb combination over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with further Gruyère and Parmesan. Bake for half-hour. Serve heat or at room temperature.

I actually needed to like this tomato tart. As I used to be making it, I used to be hopeful it might change into my new go-to summer time recipe to tug out anytime I’m entertaining family and friends. Sadly, this isn’t that recipe — a minimum of not for me.

For starters — and I can’t imagine I’m saying this — however there was an excessive amount of cheese. It made the tart really feel heavy, particularly for a summertime tart. Secondly, it was fairly time- and labor-intensive to tug collectively. Though I wouldn’t name it superior (as Ina does on her web site), it requires a good quantity of hands-on work and a few hours to return collectively.

With that mentioned, there have been a number of issues I favored about this tart! Many tomato tarts are suffering from soggy bottoms, however not this one. Earlier than you add the tomatoes, the dough bakes right into a flatbread-like crust with crisp toasted edges that jogged my memory of a very good cracker, and is then well-protected by a beneficiant layer of Dijon and a thick layer of Gruyère. Even hours later, the crust remained agency. The dough was additionally extremely straightforward to work with — and that is coming from somebody who will get simply harassed about working with do-it-yourself dough.

Maybe the easiest a part of this recipe is the garlicky-herb marinade that’s used for the tomatoes, then slathered excessive of the tart. Utilizing it twice is so good, and a trick I plan to make use of for different veggie tarts and even pizza.

Do you have got a favourite tomato tart recipe? Tell us within the feedback!