Aged Goat Cheese Tomato Tart, featuring a beautiful homemade pastry hosting a simple yet tasty filling, made of aged goat cheese, fresh tomatoes on the vine, a sprinkle of herbs and a touch of fleur de sel.
Song of the day: "Float On" - Modest Mouse
Remember that beautiful tart pastry we made some time ago and gave you a step by step tutorial about? Well, we put it to good use. Pairing with just a few ingredients, we created a delectable weeknight dinner.
I cannot stress enough the fact that when you have quality ingredients, you really don't need too many of them. We believe in buying less and buying better quality, where possible organic, seasonal, and local, following the Italian saying "pochi ma buoni" few but good. It is also a way of life, not only a saying, that encourages you to buy more often and fewer quantities so you can eat fresh. We usually fill the fridge only with what we can use during a week and freeze very little. This ensures us optimum flavor and freshness.
In this Aged Goat Cheese Tomato Tart, we paired our beautiful homemade pastry with organic tomatoes on the vine bought at our local Farmers Market, an amazing aged goat cheese bought during our last trip to salt Spring Island, on a visit to Salt Spring Island Cheese farm, some herbs, of course an excellent e.v.o. oil and a sprinkle of balsamic fleur de sel, from Salt Spring Sea Salt. (#nosponsor).
When we travel, we like to learn about local ingredients of the area we're in, eat local, then fill our luggage as much as possible, bringing home new inspiration and prolonging that food experience.
This cheese is called Romelia, an aged goat cheese whose look resembles a brie. Romelia has its rind washed as it ages and its orange colour gives it a distinct look. Its flavor is grassy, pungent but sweet and buttery. Its soft, velvety, airy texture makes you think nothing but luxuriousness. Partnering it with the pastry and tomatoes gives our taste buds something to write home about.
The best tomatoes to use are ripe ones. We chose tomatoes on the vine giving us a nice plump pulp with few seeds and water. What this means is high-intensity flavor and the bottom of the crust won't get soggy. To prevent that even more, we spread a thin layer of mustard, which also added a very interesting acidity in combination with the pastry, the cheese, and the tomatoes.
You can arrange the topping/filling as you most like, the important thing is to have the tomatoes spread on an even layer, not overlapping. A nice dressing with e.v.o. oil, salt, a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of herbs before adding the cheese layer is required. Again, we tried not to overlap the cheese slices and make somewhat of a design. More herbs on top of the cheese, fresh and dried, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme and to seal the deal, a sprinkle of balsamic fleur de sel, robust and sophisticated. As Philippe (from Salt Spring Sea Salt) says, "Made with Italian Modena Balsamic, the flavour of this salt will jump off your plate and tantalize your taste buds". And it sure did!
Overall, it is a delightful tart, fresh and bright as a sunny summer day, with enough interest to keep you entertained while you're eating it and reminding you of the good things in life.
If you have your tart ready to go, because maybe you made it ahead of time and just have to defrost it, or maybe you're using a premade tart shell, no judging here, or you're like me and you have some time on your hands to put together the pastry in the morning, this Aged Goat Cheese Tomato Tart comes together in almost no time. Then all you have to do is wait patiently for the oven to do its job and even after, a little more patience is required to let it cool off a bit letting the flavors blend and mingle.
A nice tart to enjoy with your family, or when entertaining, perfect for the summer patio and backyard parties soon to come.
Song of the day: "Float On" - Modest Mouse
PrintAged Goat Cheese Tomato Tart
Aged Goat Cheese Tomato Tart, featuring a beautiful homemade pastry hosting a simple yet tasty filling, made of aged goat cheese, fresh tomatoes on the vine, a sprinkle of herbs and a touch of fleur de sel.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 x 9.5-inch tart 1x
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked tart shell, recipe here
- 1 Tbsp mustard
- 4 tomatoes on the vine
- 2 Tbsp e.v.o. oil
- pinch of salt
- dash of pepper
- ½ tsp dried (or fresh) thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- about 250/300 g of aged goat cheese (or any other cheese you want)
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- pinch of balsamic fleur de sel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Spread a light layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out.
- Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over the mustard in a single layer.
- Drizzle e.v.o. oil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, thyme and oregano.
- Arrange the slices of goat cheese on top of the tomatoes.
- Add some more herbs, fresh parsley and basil, chopped, then sprinkle the balsamic fleur de sel.
- Bake the tart for about 25-30 minutes, checking it from time to time since the temperature of the oven is pretty hot, until the dough is golden brown, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is a bit melted and nicely browned.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting.
- Enjoy!
Notes
The total time does not include the making of the tart pastry.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-6 servings
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I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Fresh and bright as a sunny summer day is right on! I'd love a big slice with a glass of white out on the patio! You've put me right there, my friend!
Thank you Annie! It is still a bit chill here, but hopefully soon we can all enjoy our patios with a glass of wine and some good food! 🙂
Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
This is such a pretty tart and I love that you used goat cheese as it's one of my favourites! And like you I freeze very little and always prefer fresh!!! Wish I could have a slice now????
Thank you Marisa! Isn't it better to buy and eat fresh as much as possible? Wish we had a slice right now, too 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
OMG - that cheese sounds amazing!! I love all types of cheese (as you know) so I would absolutely love to try this one. This tart sounds SO good! How perfect would this be for dinner tonight with some vino? Pinned! Cheers to a wonderful weekend, you guys!
Oh, thank you so much Dawn! We love cheese as well 😉 and I agree, it would be perfect with a glass of vino rosso. Have a wonderful weekend!
Shannon says
This is my food philosophy too! Plus this tart is classy af. I'm excited to try it!
Glad to hear that! Hope you try it, I think it's going to be good also with a different cheese.
Ayngelina (@Ayngelina) says
I usually think I know a lot about topic, especially like cheese, but then I read your posts and learn so much. I'm on the hunt for Romelia!
Thank you Ayngelina! It was a nice find in Salt Spring! Hope you can find it! 🙂
Pamela (BrooklynFarmGirl) says
I'm going to make this for sure! It looks absolutely really tasty 🙂
Thank you Pamela! You won't regret making it 😉
Milena | Craft Beering says
I knew this tart was coming as soon as you posted the recipe for the crust. It's amazing, I'd pair it with a pilsner, my favorite beer ever. There is something miraculous about aged goat cheese, I've never had a bad one. Just imagine the grassy notes of the cheese with the grassy notes of the noble hops in the pilsner. Perfection. I have just the board for your tart.
I love this kind of eating so much! And I love the pairing with a pilsner!! Thank you, Milena 🙂 !
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper says
Oh my goodness! This looks so good! That would be such a great dish in the summer when tomatoes are in season, with a nice glass of white wine. Yum! I'm salivating!
Thank you Gabby! Yes, perfect summer dish!
Ivana says
Brava Nicoletta! Sono perfettamente d'accordo con te sul "pochi ma buoni". È proprio così che si cucina nel modo migliore e più salutare! Un saluto dall'Italia!
Ciao Ivana! Grazie! Un saluto dal Canada 🙂
Melissa Novotny says
That looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I, too think there’s nothing better than homemade tart crust. Buttery, flaky deliciousness.
Thank you Melissa! Hope you like it as much as we did. We cannot wait to make it again, of course with homemade tart pastry ????.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
That mustard! What a great idea. I've never been to salt spring Island but I looked at a yoga training there when I became a teacher, it's beautiful. This is such a lovely summer dish.
Thank you Alexandra! You would have loved Salt Spring, such a cool place! Yoga is a big thing there ????.
chef mimi says
This is my kind of pizza! Washed rind cheeses are my favorites, like Reblochon, but I didn't know goat cheeses were also washed rind varieties. I need to find this cheese!
Thank you chef Mimi!! You are right about washed rind cheese...and this particular one was a revelation! It will be hard to find...but it's worth the try!
chef mimi says
I will start looking!