I re-created this tart after enjoying it with my family in the Basque country in the South of France this summer. Served with a simple leafy green salad, it’s the perfect meal. This also is part 1 of my puff pastry series for the summer.
First, a few words about puff pastry. Puff pastry is deliciously buttery, made of layers of butter and flour that rise and separate in the oven to create the perfect texture of velvety flaky pastry. If you’re ever in search of a Sunday afternoon activity, you can definitely try making this at home – but be prepared to spend your afternoon working on it. For everyday cooking, buying puff pastry is really the best and easiest option. Homemade doughs are usually the way to go but puff pastry really is too much of an under-taking for everyday cooking and a good-quality store-bought puff pastry really does the trick.
I designed this recipe to make a full-size tart for 6 people as well as an easy dessert recipe for the leftover scraps of puff pastry. As you will see in part 2 of this post, you can make an easy sweet treat using the scraps. If you’re like me, you often want to use leftover pieces dough but for some reason never end up making something very productive with it. This recipe makes it easy to use up leftovers and make real second dish out of them! So stay tuned for my chocolate, almond and pear tart dessert.
For now, let’s stick to the goat cheese tomato tart!
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart
Serves 6
400 g of frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
1/2 cup of soft goat cheese
1/2 cup of light ricotta
1/4 cup of whipping cream
3 eggs, beaten saving 2 teaspoons in a separate bowl
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
A handful of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon of chopped coriander or basil
11 Inch x 7 Inch quiche pan
Preheat your oven to 325F. Lightly flour a working surface and place the block of thawed puff pastry dough in the center. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s about 1/8 inch thick and large enough to fit your 11 x 7 inch pan. Lightly butter the quiche pan and gently transfer the dough to the pan, trimming the dough as necessary.
In a large bowl, add the goat cheese, ricotta and cream. Whisk the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add the beaten eggs (except for the reserved 2 teaspoons) and whisk again. Add the pepper and mix. Pour the mixture on top of the dough. Top with the cherry tomatoes. Using a pastry brush and the reserved 2 teaspoons of egg, brush the sides of the pastry. Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough is just golden brown and the filling is cooked. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs and serve alongside your favourite leafy greens. Enjoy!
Enjoy the read!
Unplanned Cooking
August 27, 2010 at 2:44 pm (14 years ago)Looks lovely. We always buy the pastry dough. There are some things that I’ve just given up on getting right myself ;).
My Carolina Kitchen
August 27, 2010 at 3:53 pm (14 years ago)Perfect meal is right. It doesn’t get any better than goat cheese and tomatoes. Tres bien.
Sam
Torviewtoronto
August 27, 2010 at 5:37 pm (14 years ago)looks delicious
Mika
August 28, 2010 at 3:23 am (14 years ago)Here in Germany I found a delicious super creamy goat cheese that will be perfect for this tart…It seems a pity to cover it with ricotta cheese… ^_^
Do you think it will be too strong if I skip the ricotta and use only goat cheese whipping cream and eggs?
Chanel11
August 28, 2010 at 3:58 am (14 years ago)Simple – but infinitely delicious supper
Chocolate Shavings
August 28, 2010 at 7:17 am (14 years ago)Mika: You can play around with the ratio of ricotta to goat cheese, but I would suggest still using some ricotta as it helps to lighten the quiche and give it a more airy texture. Otherwise it might feel like you’re biting into a log of goat cheese!
Jean
August 28, 2010 at 7:29 pm (14 years ago)What a lovely tart and I’m sure especially enjoyable eaten with memories of southern France. I had an opportunity to visit Biarritz while vacationing in San Sebastian a few years ago–the Basque region is beautiful!
Grace
August 29, 2010 at 10:50 am (14 years ago)I keep saying I am going to try my hand at puff pastry but but it seems so daunting and the puff pastry I buy is so delicious. The tart looks amazing but everything you make always does! Will have to save this recipe for an girl’s afternoon luncheon, my kids, unfortunately aren’t goat cheese lovers. Do you think I could use all ricotta cheese or could I substitute the goat cheese for another cheese?
Megan
August 29, 2010 at 10:00 pm (14 years ago)I love using puff pastry for things like this. The filling sounds so light, and I definitely love anything with tomatoes.
Petra (Zoom Yummy)
September 1, 2010 at 6:17 am (14 years ago)Oh, yummy, this looks IRRESISTIBLE. Just exactly what I love – pastry and cheese, there’s nothing better. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂 Petra
Julia
September 1, 2010 at 2:40 pm (14 years ago)This leaves my mouth watering. Amazing pictures!
Olga @ MangoTomato
September 3, 2010 at 10:59 am (14 years ago)this looks beautiful! Love goat cheese and tomatoes. Such simple preparation, but such an impressive final result!
Amanda
September 12, 2010 at 9:43 am (14 years ago)That is positively beautiful 🙂
Maven
September 18, 2010 at 10:16 pm (14 years ago)This looks absolutely amazing. I am saving this for next summer – love food like this!