Heirloom Tomato Tart

This tart is a stolen idea from a tomato tart I had many many years ago from a street vendor many years ago.   It was in a sweeter, buttery crust and I loved the combination with the tomatoes. So, I made a sweet shortcrust pastry for the base and filled it with tons of tomatoes and some fresh shaved parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did, it’s the perfect Sunday brunch project!
P.S. You can make this recipe in a pie pan if you would like, but I just bought a tart pan and it worked wonderfully.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Recipe Note: I like to slice my tomatoes and then lay them on paper towels to suck out excess juice. If your tomatoes are over-ripe, do not use them in this recipe. You want to use firmer tomatoes!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 large eggs

 Directions:

• 4 firm heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt for a few seconds to sift. Add the butter and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the eggs and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.If dough is not forming, you can add a splash of milk, but it should come together without. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom and set aside. (You can also use a pie pan if you prefer.)Lightly flour dough and counter. Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching).Lay dough loosely into prepared pan. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. This will help with the dough shrinking.Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the tart crust and fill with pie weights (or can use dry beans). Bake for 12 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper (pinch up all four corners of parchment paper and lift all at once) and bake for 6-8 minutes more, until lightly golden.Sprinkle bottom of pastry with parmesan cheese. Cover with tomato slices, arranging to cover as evenly as possible. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!