I took this tart with lots of fresh herbs and cheese last night as an appetizer for a dinner with friends, and it was really delicious. The original recipe is from Molly at Spicesinmydna.com: a beautiful dish with carefully sliced and arranged heirloom tomatoes. I made it once that way, but I think roasting the tomatoes separately added a lot of flavor and was a little easier.

Ingredients

For the tart
3-4 cups cut up tomatoes – can be grape or cherry halved, and/or larger tomatoes cut into chunks with seeds and liquidy stuff removed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil

For the crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2-4 Tbsp ice water

For the filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated pecorino Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
½ small onion, diced, and microwaved in a small bowl for about 25 seconds
1 tsp garlic powder, or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (add more if you really like basil)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic chives or regular chives
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cut up tomatoes. Place on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Mix it all together by hand and pop it in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes on the top shelf, until tomatoes are collapsing and soft with a few burn marks. If needed, roast another 5-10 minutes. Once the tomatoes are done, remove them and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the crust. Add flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cheese and pulse again until incorporated. Add the butter and pulse until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces. With the food processor running, add ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. (I had to use all 4 Tbsp.)

Press dough into bottom and the sides of a 9 inch quiche pan. It doesn’t need to be rolled out – just drop it in the pan, spread it as evenly as possible and pat it down gently. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on the edges. Cool for 15-20 minutes before filling.

While crust is baking, make the filling. In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, Pecorino Romano, warmed onion, garlic, basil, chives, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Once the crust has cooled, spread the filling onto the crust with a rubber spatula. Layer the tomatoes on top of the filling as evenly as possible.

Return tart to oven and bake another 35 minutes. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.