Tomatoes, Tomatoes and more Tomatoes…

Don;t you just love summertime with all of the wonderfully fresh heirloom tomatoes in your garden or from the Farmer’s Market? I marvel at the many varieties and how different they taste. Rumor has it that tomatoes were first cultivated in Peru and transported to Mexico where the Aztecs prepared them with peppers and corn. And I’m certain that you know they are actually a fruit and not a vegetable!

Dad always grew the most wonderful delicious and juicy tomatoes in his garden in Connecticut. My brother and sisters would go to the nursery in the spring with him to select a variety of small plants, which we would carefully transplant in a special section of his garden. We were tasked with “guarding” them as they grew larger from those nasty fat green cutworms — he’d give us each a nickel or dime for each bug we plucked off the growing plants. (Of course, we had to save the bugs in a container to show him before collecting our loot.) On a hot steamy August day, my Mom and I would take a salt shaker and sit right down in the middle of the garden, eating tomatoes warmed by the sun and right off the vine, sprinkled with a little salt — summer heaven!

This tart is easy to make, and delicious. The fontina cheese, tomatoes and herbs blend nicely together for a very satisfying taste. You can serve the tart as an appetizer, or even for a light luncheon accompanied by a chilled butter lettuce salad.

TOMATO TART

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 4 tomatoes, sliced and dried between paper towels
• 1 and 1/2 cups of shredded Fontina cheese
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (you can also use fresh basil)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare your ripe tomatoes by slicing into 1/4 inch slices. You want nice large round slices, so may wish to save the ends for your salad or snack on them while preparing this recipe! Place sliced tomatoes on double layer of paper towels, and cover with another layer of paper towels, and pat to absorb the excess liquid.

Follow directions on package of frozen puff pastry, but do not defrost or let sit at room temperature too long. Roll the puff pastry out to about 9X13 inch rectangle. Slice about 1 inch of dough from each side. Place the large section of dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and put the small strips of dough on the edges of the large section of dough to make an edge / crust. Prepare the base of the tart by picking the dough with a fork being careful not to prick the edge / crust. Prepare the egg wash by beating the egg and water, and brush the egg mixture on the edges of the tart with a pastry brush.

Bake the tart dough for about 15 minutes or until the crust has puffed and is lightly golden. Don’t get it too dark, as you will continue to bake after adding the tomatoes — the idea is to brown the bottom of the tart. Remove the partially baked tart dough from the oven, and top with the shredded cheese, tomatoes (arrange them in a nice pattern), salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. Place the tart back into the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the bottom. Slice and serve while still warm.

— Lynn Kathleen Adams