The sun and the rain and the air have been really good to us on the OBX this summer and we have tomatoes for days. And basil is growing like a weed! I am reluctant to cook fresh garden tomatoes too much. Considering how sweet and juicy they are, it feels like a vegetable crime. But sometimes, an idea comes along that’s too good to resist and splaying these fresh tomatoes out all over a buttery, flaky tart dough showered with tons of fresh basil seemed like the best possible move. It’s like summertime on a plate. If the tomatoes in my tart picture look too round and uniform to have been homegrown by me, you are correct. I bought these from the farmer’s market because mine weren’t ripe enough yet. But, a week or so later, I proudly swung in from the garden with these beauties! Some of whom are definitely destined for another Fresh Tomato Basil Tart. Or, maybe this buttery tomato pasta? TBD.
how to make summertime tomato basil magic
This Fresh Tomato Basil Tart works beautifully as an appetizer or lunch. For dinner, pair it with a big salad or maybe some crispy chicken. To make it, start with the dough. Actually, if you’re too busy soaking up the sun or splashing in the waves to make your own dough, just buy puff pastry. No one will know. However, I promise, this dough is ah-mazing. So amazing, Joey didn’t believe it was from scratch🤷‍♀️ It all comes together in the food processor, then you chill it for 1/2 an hour, and roll it out on parchment. Plop that onto a baking sheet and shower your dough with garlicky olive oil, grated parmesan, and fistfuls of torn basil:
Add your fresh ‘matoes. And a little sliced onion, flaky sea salt, and lots of cracked pepper:
Bake that sweetheart until it’s puffy and crisp and the tomatoes are wilty and jammy. Then drizzle it with olive oil and serve it like the barefoot, summertime garden god or goddess you are.
Fresh Tomato Basil Tart
A rustic, homemade tart featuring all those fresh summer tomatoes and sweet, fragrant basil. The buttery, flaky crust is the perfect contrast to ripe, juicy tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: dinner, lunch
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
for the dough
- 1/2 C unsalted butter (1 stick), cubed and chilled
- 1 C + 2 TBS all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- approximately 1/2 C ice water
for the toppings
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 grated parmesan
- 1 C fresh basil, packed
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes, in varying sizes if you have them, sliced into 1/4” rounds
- 1/2 an onion, sliced
- flaky sea salt and black pepper
- balsamic glaze for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
for the dough
- Combine the cold butter, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add the ice water, 1 TBS at a time, pulsing after each addition. Continue adding water until the dough just comes together and forms a messy ball. You may need more or less than 1/2 C of ice water.
- Dump the dough and any remaining clumps of flour out onto a clean counter and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
assemble the tart
- Preheat your oven to 375. Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to form a rectangle; it should be about 1/8″ thick. Transfer the parchment with the dough to a baking sheet and prick the surface of the dough a few times with a fork.Â
- Add 2 TBS olive oil to a small bowl and grate the garlic into the bowl; stir to combine. Brush this mixture over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top. Tear the basil into pieces and layer on top of the parmesan, making sure to leave a thin border of crust around the edges.
- Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top of the basil, then fill in any blank spaces with slices of onion. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and brush the exposed edges of crust with more olive oil to make sure they brown. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and lots of cracked black pepper.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges of the crust are brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Let tart cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares. Serve, drizzled with more olive oil and balsamic glaze, if you like.
Keywords: fresh tomato recipe, fresh basil recipe, homemade tart dough, summer recipe