homemade: Tomato Tart (Kopie)

*****
With Memorial Day unofficially kicking off the summer season, I am in food heaven! It is my favorite season for eats, sweets and treats as there are so many healthy options that make you feel like your indulging in something sinful.

Enter: the tomato tart. I have made this tart several times in a variety of ways depending on who I’m dining with. Gluten-free, cheese-free or none of the above and a little more indulgent with rich, but fresh ingredients.

For a Memorial Day picnic in the park, I went the half-way route with a whole wheat tart crust, fresh veggies and a bit of yummy cheese for a truly delicious kickoff to a beautiful season.

I’ve included three variations of crust and an alternate dairy-free option for filling. Feel free to pick and choose based on your dietary needs.

CRUST
Gluten-Free
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg
In a food processor, combine almond flour, sea salt, rosemary and cheese. Pulse to combine. Add coconut oil and egg. Run processor until dough forms.

Whole Wheat
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 stick + 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cold water
In a food processor, pulse the whole wheat flour with salt, rosemary and cheese. Add diced butter and pulse until it is the size of small peas. Sprinkle in the cold water and pulse again until tart dough begins to come together.

Dairy-free and Gluten-free
1 cup white rice flour
1/4 sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tbsp shortening
1/4 cold water
In a food processor, combine white rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, rosemary and salt. Pulse to combine. Add shortening. Pulse until no large pieces remain. Add in water and run processor until a dough ball forms.

Oil a 10-inch tart or pie pan. Pinch off small pieces of your dough ball and place into bottom of pan. When you have all of the dough in the pan, press dough down to cover bottom and sides of pan. This ensures that the dough is evenly distributed. Neatly cut of any excess at the top of the pan. Lightly cover with a towel or plastic wrap and chill tart in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

With the oven set to 375 degrees, remove tart from the freezer and poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Add a foil rim to the edges of the crust to keep from over-browning. Place tart in center of the oven rack and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.

FILLING
1 large Vidala onion, cut into slices and then in half
1 clove garlic, minced
3 small Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium yellow tomato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium green tomato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 basil leaves, chopped
½ cup grated Gruyere cheese*
¼ cup Parmesan cheese*
1 tsp olive oil
Sprigs of rosemary
Dash of salt & pepper

*For dairy-free alternative, substitute with slices of your favorite veggie (sliced zucchini, chopped mushrooms, sliced eggplant would all be good options! Just make sure to cook for 5-7 minutes in a skillet to soften)

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and stir frequently until brown. Turn heat to low/simmer and add garlic to onions. Cook down onions and garlic until onions are very soft and brown.

Grab your cooled tart crust and layer with a thin layer of Gruyere cheese (or if dairy-free, add your second veggie). Add a layer of the cooked onion mixture. Add a layer of tomato slices. Layer with a thin layer of Parmesan cheese (if dairy-free another layer of veggie) and chopped basil. Top with second and final layer of tomato slices. Criss-cross the sprigs of rosemary on top of tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly grated pepper and sea salt.

Add the tinfoil ring back on the tart edges and pop in a 425 degree oven for 17-20 minutes, or until tomatoes appear softened. Cool on a wire rack before serving.