Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Heirloom Tomato and Gorgonzola Tart

Heirloom Tomato and Gorgonzola Tart

Most Saturday mornings in summer, you'll find me at our local farmer's market.  Yes, Manhattan has farmer's markets and quite a few, in fact.  The big, amazing, awesome, I wish I lived across the street one is at Union Square.  Four times a week, farmers, growers, bread bakers and cheese makers drive down from the Hudson River Valley to set up their stalls.  While I used to have the pleasure of working only two blocks away, it's quite a treck from my upper east side apartment.  Fortunately, there's a smaller version of the market just a few blocks from home.

Heirloom Tomato and Gorgonzola Tart
Because my local market is smaller, I have to make sure to get there early but Hadley doesn't mind accompanying me for a morning walk.  The selection also varies greatly based on what the farmers had ready to bring.  But the mystery and discovery is part of the fun of a farmer's market  My "find" last Saturday was a selection of beautiful heirloom tomatoes.

I knew immediately that I'd combine these sweet lovelies with some sharp Gorgonzola cheese and bake them into a simple tart.  Alongside a fresh salad, it was an ideal summer evening dinner.  Enjoy!


Ingredients

Crust:
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup ice water

Filling:
3 Tomatoes, sliced thin
1 Cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 Cup ricotta cheese
1 - 2 Tablespoons milk, if needed
Salt & pepper to taste

Heirloom Tomato and Gorgonzola Tart
To make the crust, add the flour, salt, baking powder and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Do not over-mix.  With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube until a dough ball forms.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.  After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a well-floured surface into about a 10" circle. Drape over a 9" tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom) and move your rolling pin across the fluted top to cut off the excess dough.

To make the filling, combine the Gorgonzola and ricotta cheeses in a bowl and mix together, by hand or with a mixer, until mostly smooth.  Add the milk if needed and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the cheese mixture evenly into the tart shell and top with the tomatoes.  Sprinkle a little salt over the top and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.  Makes approximately 8 servings.

10 comments:

  1. I looked at the farmer's market last week for heirlooms... they're not available here yet, but I can't wait for them to get here, because this sounds fabulous!

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  2. Really beautiful, this sounds so good for a weekend breakfast

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  3. I got some gorgeous tomatoes at the farmer's market last weekend. I cannot wait to get more. I think this recipe will be up. Beautiful!

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  4. This looks almost too pretty to eat!

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  5. So I'm heading to the market this week to pick up heirloom tomatoes (and other things) and after seeing this I'll be buying extra. Oh what a fabulous, beautiful, and tasty tart!!

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  6. This is such a lovely dish! I can't resist in season tomatoes and good cheese!

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  7. Hi, I found this on FoodGawker and was hoping I could get your permission to post the recipe on my instagram recipe page (@foodie_recipes) as it looks delicious! I will tag you in the photo and put your website address on the post! Hope this is okay, thanks :) x

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    Replies
    1. Hi Olivia - It is actually NOT OK and you do not have my permission to post my recipe anywhere. Thanks.

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  8. Great article, Thanks for your great information, the content is quiet interesting. I will be waiting for your next post.

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