In my traveling/moving/new job hazy state of mind, I nearly forgot about this month’s Secret Recipe Club. We were leaving town last Thursday when I conveniently remembered this fact late on a Wednesday. And conveniently we’re moving 2 states away in 3 weeks and I’m being constantly reminded to “use up what we’ve got…which is a lot!”
I was excited to be assigned another blog that’s new to me, Kudos Kitchen by Renee, and I was even more excited when I saw that Renee is not only from Illinois, but a suburb (Bartlett) I spent a lot of time in while playing travel women’s hockey back in high school. It was likely only a matter of time before our paths crossed in this vast blogosphere.
With my time crunch in mind, I got to perusing Renee’s site for a recipe. After far too long, I decided on this Tomato Tart. While it looked and sounded delicious, Renee also had this recipe under “Popular Posts” which generally means a recipe is destined for greatness. Plus, I’m yet to have a Secret Recipe Club disappointment! I loved that his tart uses only the basics and the dough was so simple that I was able to whip it together before teaching and do the rest in under an hour, most of which was hands off. This allowed me to pack and clean and do all the other necessary to-do’s in order to get us on the road that day.
I’m sure Mr. Prevention was cursing me as he was loading the car with my HEAVY planters…and I was photographing this tart. Who says blogging doesn’t take sacrifice? 
The photography was the first step. Then there was the enjoying.
It didn’t turn out quite as picturesque as I was hoping but the end result was absolutely wonderful. This has got to be the English’s answer to margherita pizza. Or caprese meets tart?
There’s just no short-comings to be found with a flaky, buttery crust filled with melted cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes, and basil. Summer brunch just got all the more delicious. Dinner, too, because we are getting back home tonight and I can’t wait to dig into this leftover tart!
Tomato Tart ever so slightly adapted from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 tsp ice water (more if needed)
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz Parmesan, shredded
3 large tomatoes, sliced thick
12 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thick
1/4 cup basil, chopped
Directions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse several times until the flour is in coarse crumbs. Beat the egg with the ice water and pour it into the food processor; pulse a few moments until the dough comes together into a ball, adding more water, if needed.
Remove the dough from the processor and flatten into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
When the dough is chilled, roll it out into a round circle approximately 1/4 inch thick and at least 12 inches is diameter. Spray a 10-inch tart pan with non-stick cooking spray and transfer the dough to the pan. Using a fork, poke several holes into the bottom of the crust and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of fresh Parmesan cheese on the crust and par-bake the tart shell for 10-15 minutes, until beginning to brown.
Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices in a spiral, or however you feel inspired to embellish your tart. Sprinkle the top of your tart with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
Bake for for approximately 18-22 minutes until you cheese is melted and starting to brown nicely. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before garnishing the top with finely chopped, fresh basil.
Yield: 8 slices.
Nutrition Information (per slice): 259 calories; 16.4 g. fat; 45 mg. cholesterol; 204 mg. sodium; 16.9 g. carbohydrate; 2.8 g. fiber; 9.9 g. protein
Result: This is a classy version of cheese pizza in tart form. I was shocked at how simple this was to make and how well it turned out. I knew it would be good, but it was fabulous! This is the perfect spring brunch dish to showcase the beautiful summer tomatoes to come! I did use whole wheat pastry flour to add fiber and nutrition, and I used 10 ounces of cheese instead of 16. I wouldn’t define this as “healthy”, but it feels like one cheesy treat for a very well-spent 259 calories. Enjoy!
We are en route to Ohio. Last week of teaching and 3 more weeks working at my dialysis unit. Our time in Ohio is winding down and I am so excited to say this will be my last trip from Chicago to Ohio. This is one looooong trip across Indiana and Ohio flatness.
Happy Birthday to my best friend of 26 years, Kristen Lynn 
xo! P.S. This tart is so right up your taste bud alley, girl.
Plans to grill tonight once we’re home! Happy Memorial Day!
Be well,
What a lovely recipe! I understand so well what you are going through, as we will be moving next month, and I am going absolutely crazy…
I just hope I can pull next month’s SRC, no matter what!
Caprese is our favorite salad, so this tart would be a hit in our home for sure!
This tomato tart looks awesome!! I understand your crazy-moving – we just moved for the second time in a year and its still crazy boxes everywhere!!
Your photos are plenty pretty! (visiting from Group D)
The tart looks not only delicious and flavourful, also very pretty and healthy.
Delicious looking. Absolutely drool worthy delicious! Nothing better than a beautiful tomatoe tart. Happy Summer!
This is a beautiful tart!
WOW This looks so pretty and yummy!
This looks exactly like something we would love to enjoy on the patio during the summer, along with a glass of wine. I’ll definitely bookmark this and give it a try soon!
This looks amazing! Great pick for SRC!
I am not much of a sliced tomato fan, but that looks delicious Nicole! Hope you had an uneventful trip back home and got to Q.
Looks pretty picturesque to me! Any version of pizza is bound to be a winner. Sounds delicious.
I love the look of this recipe!
I think the pictures look gorgeous!!
What a pretty tart – it looks perfect for company! And for summer – I can’t wait for summer tomatoes!
Hi Nicole. That tart looks nothing short of spectacular. Hope you had a nice Memorial Day!!
I love how pretty and fresh this tart looks, and not heavy and rich like most tarts.
Oh, holy cow! This looks incredible. Once I get some tomatoes on my vine, I’m so making this! Thanks.
I’ve made a tomato tart before and it was a huge hit.
Oh wow!!! This looks absolutely yummy!!!
I apologize for my delay in getting comments to you on your adaptation of my tart recipe. I know I had visited once before and had thought I had left comments at that point. My bad for not having done so. I’m back again and need to tell you that you did an amazing job with this tart. I adore that you used whole wheat pastry flour! I think I’ll try that next time as a matter of face. Great call! Anyway, your tart is beautiful and your pictures are stunning.
Good luck with your move too
Thanks, Renee! I loved being assigned your blog! And I think I chose a great recipe – THANK YOU!!!