tomato tart

oh my, is it nearing the end of summer already? it truly feels like yesterday that i was writing my first post about how excited i was to venture to the first farmers market of the season.

now we are knee deep in bushels of ripening eggplant & tomatoes, abundant basil and the last of our "hot" weather crops are making the final push of producing before the cooler weather moves in.

this time of year , the transition from summer to fall has me craving warm fall soups, pies and tarts.

with summer still forging on and fall knocking at the door i decided to combine the two into what i think is the perfect dish combining the best of summer and a little hint of fall.

i won't lie - i love everything about this simple tart.

eggplant, heirloom tomatoes and basil along with a hearty dose of freshly cracked pepper make a satisfying and hearty tart with the taste of summer and the comforts of fall.

of course you really can't have eggplant & tomatoes without garlic can you? well at least i can't.

i highly recommend making your own pie crust if you have the time. making your own pie crust may seem intimidating, but the more often you make your own the better and more comfortable you become with the process. trust me on this - making your own dough is really easy once you stop over analyzing and just go with how the dough feels and acts for you in the moment. okay this kinda makes me sound crazy, but read your pie dough, see where its at, add more flour if needed or water if needed- you will get the hang of it!

once the eggplant and tomatoes are layered in the pan, garlic is sprinkled over the top along with a drizzle of olive oil and tons of freshly cracked pepper and flaky salt.

Delicious served right from the oven or at room temp. this would be amazing served at an informal get together simply left out on a cutting board allowing guests to help themselves too throughout the night.

are you a fan of eggplant?

when you end up with a boatload of eggplants from your CSA or garden what do you create with them?

this time of year do you start to crave the comforts of fall?

Tomato Tart

serves 6

you will need:

1 homemade or prepared pie crust

3 cups assorted heirloom tomatoes - sliced

1 small /medium eggplant, thinly sliced & salted

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

salt & pepper

handful of fresh basil - torn

assembly:

pre heat oven to 425*

line a tart pan with parchment paper

thinly slice eggplant and spread out on a paper towel, salt well on both sides, cover with another paper towel and allow to sit and drain while you prep the tomatoes

slice the tomatoes to your desired thickness

chop the garlic

remove pie crust from the fridge and press into the tart pan. layer the bottom of the tart with the eggplant, then the tomatoes on top of the eggplant in any pattern that you wish, overlapping of the tomatoes is fine.

sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes.

drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a good amount of flaky salt & freshly cracked pepper.

bake in the pre heated oven at 425* for 20 minutes, reduce oven temp to 375* and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes.

remove from oven and allow to cool. sprinkle with torn basil just before serving.

this was really tasty at room temp or just out of the oven!

enjoy!