This tomato tart is a lovely dish. It’s so simple to put together and it looks very impressive when it comes out of the oven. The steps involved couldn’t be easier – just prick the puff pastry all over with a fork, spread with a herby garlic cream cheese mixture, sprinkle with cheese, top with tomatoes and then one last sprinkle of parmesan cheese and in the oven it goes. When it comes out of the oven it smells and looks delicious. Go ahead, have a slice – I know you want one.
Did I mention there’s a lot of cheese. Three kinds of cheese. It’s very cheesy – in a good way.
A couple of notes:
You need to let the tomatoes drain on paper towel for at least 15 minutes – otherwise your tart will be soggy. So slice the tomatoes first and place on paper towels before you do any other prep work.
Slice your tomatoes in even slices – about 1/4″ thick slice.
I used fontina but any melting cheese would be great – mozzarella would be good if you can’t find fontina.
Prick the puff pastry all over with a fork before adding the other ingredients – this way it will not puff up completely – it will just puff up a bit on the very outer edge.
No pre-bake of the puff pastry is necessary. Also, no egg wash needed – the tart came out a lovely golden brown.
My tart was ready in 20 minutes of baking time. Set your kitchen timer for 20 minutes and if it’s not a golden brown then continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so.
It’s important to let the tart cool for a good 10 to 15 minutes. As the tart cools it will firm up a bit and be easier to cut.
Recipe adapted from theKitchn.com – Three Cheese Tomato Tart.
PrintTomato Tart
A cheesy tomato tart. A lovely, tasty tart that’s easy to put together.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of puff pastry – mine measured 9 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches
- 3 large tomatoes – sliced in about 1/4” slices
- 2 oz cream cheese (about 1/4 of a bar of cream cheese)
- 1 handful of herbs – I used parsley and basil
- 1 garlic clove – minced or put through a press
- 6 twists of pepper
- 2 cups grated fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan – divided in half
- A little bit of minced basil for garnish
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice tomatoes and lay the slices out on paper towel so they drain a bit – cover with a sheet of paper towel as well.
- Place puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper that is on a baking sheet.
- Unfold puff pastry. If there are any holes or rips just pinch the pastry back together again.
- Prick puff pastry all over with a fork. Go wild with the fork! Prick right up to the edge of the puff pastry.
- In mini food processor, blend cream cheese, herbs, minced garlic, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese mixture on puff pastry, spread very thinly – right up to the edge – leaving about 1/2″ border around the edge.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of fontina cheese over pastry and cream cheese mixture.
- Layer sliced tomatoes over cheese.
- Sprinkle last 1/4 cup of parmesan over the tomatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from oven, lift parchment paper and tart off of baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with a little chopped basil to garnish.
Sharon
I made this for a girls night ( martinis on the deck ) It was a hit! Everyone loved it and they are all great cooks. The flavors are wonderful together and with all the tomatoes in the garden at this time of year I make as many recipes as possible before the end of the season. Thank you for this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Geraldine
Hi Sharon – thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it. Love that you shared it with friends and with martinis! This is definitely an easy late summer recipe – when all those tomatoes seem to be ripening at once. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and rating. Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend!
Gerry
Wow, was this good. We really loved this tomato tart. It was perfection, crisp, cheesy and delicious. Quick and easy to make with very few ingredients. Made as written using mozzarella and basil and parsley options. Thank you for sharing a recipe that is going into my Best of Cookbook for 2020. Kudos to you. BK
Geraldine
Thanks, Gerry – so glad you enjoyed it – I can’t wait for my summer tomatoes to come in (I just planted them) so I can make this tart! Thanks for leaving a message and a 5 star rating – I appreciate it!
Lisa
This is a simple yet elegant dish. I made this last night and it came out perfectly. Best takeaway was that you do not have to pre-bake the puff pastry; I’ve seen other recipes ask for a 20-25 minute pre-bake which in my opinion would result in a burnt product. This was my first time using puff pastry (!) and because this recipe was so easy I’ll definitely create more dishes using it, it’s very versatile! I did make some substitutions; I didn’t have cream cheese or Fontina so I used goat cheese and Gouda. I also didn’t have parsley, so I used chives. Other than those substitutions, I followed the recipe. Very tasty! Try it, you’ll like it 😉
Geraldine
Hi Lisa – thanks so much for letting me know this worked for you. And thanks for taking the time to leave a detailed comment about your experience making this. Goat cheese and gouda are great alternatives. And yes, there are definitely more ways to mix this up – sautéed mushrooms and goat cheese would be delicious! Thanks for leaving a rating also – much appreciated.
Sheila
These photos are too realistic, can almost taste this tomato tart, and such fun to make!
Geraldine
I haven’t made this in a while – will have to make it again soon! Thanks for the rating – much appreciated!
tarthappy
I made this tart tonight for dinner, and it was fantastic. I omitted the parsley and after baking I sprinkled the tart with shredded basil, crushed oregano and thyme. I decided to try a homemade puff pastry crust… it didn’t puff up as much as the photo. It was my first time making puff pastry from scratch, so I think I need a couple more practice attempts to get it perfect. Back to the tart; I’m really glad I tried this recipe! Thank you! I wish I knew how to attach photos because it looks lovely too! I baked for 20 minutes as recommended, and it wasn’t quite as brown as I wanted, so I baked for an additional 4 minutes. Then I set the oven to broil on high for 1 minute longer and it gave the tart a beautiful color. I am very pleased.
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know – I wish I could see it, it sounds delicious. And bravo for making your own puff pastry!
Chris Hauschildt
Geraldine,
What a light and refreshing recipe. It was like homemade pizza meets Caprese salad. It is a easy recipe to make and the flavor will astound you!
Chris
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know, Chris – glad you enjoyed it!
Anne|Craving Something Healthy
Hi Geraldine –
Gorgeous photos 🙂 & GREAT recipe! I love tomato tarts and will be trying this version as soon as I spot some good tomatoes
I wasn’t able to pin these from your site. Neither your pin or my bookmarked pinner worked – wanted to make sure you knew…
Geraldine
Thanks, Anne! I heard that pinterest was down for a while last night – so that may have been the problem with the pinning. Thanks for leaving me a heads up though – I appreciate it!!