Heirloom Tomato & Cheddar Cheese Tart
This heirloom tomato and cheddar cheese tart is filled with a rich, creamy mixture of eggs, cream and sharp cheddar, then topped with slices of tomatoes before being baked until golden.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2 cup flour
- 10 tbsp Westgold butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 oz cream
- 1 egg
Filling
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes sliced
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 2 tsp thyme + extra to serve
- 8 tbsp Westgold butter
- 3.3 oz cream
- 1 cup red cheddar grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- Pulse dough: Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse until combined and the mixture resembles a fine crumb. Add the cream and egg and pulse until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Add a little more flour if your dough is too sticky.
- Shape & chill dough: Dust a working surface with flour and shape the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight or for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 355°F / 180°C
- Bake pastry: Remove the pastry from the fridge, dust with flour and roll out to a circle that is 2 – 3mm thickness. Roll the pastry onto your rolling pin and roll back over a pie dish or tart tin that is 9 - 10" / 23 – 25cm. Leave at least 1 – 2cm of excess pastry hanging over the edges as the pastry will shrink when baking. Using a fork, poke holes into the bottom of the pastry. Line the pastry with baking paper and add baking beads or rice into it so the pastry does not puff up. Bake for 20 minutes. When the crust is starting to become golden, remove the baking beads or rice and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes or until the pastry is fully golden all over. Remove from the oven and allow to fully cool.
- Reduce oven heat: Reduce the ovens heat to 320°F / 160°C
- Salt tomatoes: Place the sliced tomatoes onto absorbent paper and season with salt. Leave to sit while you prepare everything else for the filling. You will notice moisture release from the tomatoes. When you are ready to add the tomatoes to the filling, pat them dry with absorbent paper.
- Fry garlic and onion: In a small frypan on a medium – high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Filling: In a small mixing bowl, add the eggs, cream, red cheddar, onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. Whisk through until everything is well combined.
- Bake: Add the filling to the cooled tart shell then layer the sliced tomatoes on top. Drizzle over the sour cream and sprinkle over the parmesan. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the tart is no longer jiggly and is completely set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing into it. Sprinkle with a little extra thyme before serving.
Video
Notes
Pie tin: Use a pie tin that is 9 - 10" / 23 – 25cm.
Heirloom tomatoes: While you could use any variety of tomato for this tart, heirloom tomatoes are the prettiest! Just be sure to salt them first — they hold a lot of water, and this quick step helps keep your pastry crisp and perfect.
Pastry: You can absolutely use store bought pastry! Look for a high quality short crust pastry.
Nutrition
Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 740mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1828IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 2mg
