Summer Harvest Celebration Tart with Organic Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves: 10
It's that time of year when the market is bursting with local harvest! This savory tart combines some of the most vibrant offerings of the season. The sweet ripeness of the heirloom tomatoes counterpoints perfectly with the rich eggplant and peppery fennel. Since the tomatoes are the star of this dish, choose 2 or 3 different varieties (I love the little Green Zebras) for dazzling color!
Ingredients
PreparationIngredients
- 2 or 3 ripe organic heirloom tomatoes (depending on the size) Add to list
- 1/4 cup olive oil Add to list
- 1 organic yellow onion, peeled and sliced Add to list
- 1 bulb organic fennel, tops removed and thinly sliced Add to list
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme Add to list
- 1 small organic eggplant, cut into small cubes Add to list
- 1 organic red bell pepper, seeded and diced Add to list
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped Add to list
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil Add to list
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Add to list
- 1 package Aussie Bakery frozen puff pastry, thawed Add to list
- 1-9 inch tart pan Add to list
- 4 to 6 ounces Beechers Flagship cheese, grated Add to list
- 4 ounces Tieton Blanca chèvre cheese (or your favorite chèvre), crumbled Add to list
- Pitted olives for garnish (optional) Add to list
- Basil leaves for garnish (optional) Add to list
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425° F. Slice the tomatoes into 1/8-inch slices, sprinkle them with a little sea salt and set on paper towels to drain.
In a heavy sauté pan, heat the oil and cook the onions and fennel over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until tender and lightly caramelized. Stir in the thyme, eggplant, peppers and garlic. Cook until the eggplant is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the basil and season with the salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (You may prepare this mixture up to a day ahead and refrigerate.)
Unfold 2 sheets of pastry onto a cutting board, stack them on top of each other and roll them out together to make a 12x12 inch square. Prick the surface all over with a fork. Fit the pastry into the tart pan. Let the pastry drape over the edge of the tart pan by about 1/2 inch (to allow for shrinkage while baking) and trim any excess with kitchen shears. Pre-bake the shell for 12 minutes.
Spread the fennel and eggplant mixture in the pre-baked pastry shell and top it with half of the Flagship cheese and half of the chèvre. Layer the tomato slices on top and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Garnish the top with pitted olives and basil leaves if you would like and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until bubbly and golden.
Each serving: 450 cal, 32g fat (8g sat), 20mg chol, 270mg sodium, 32g carb, 4g fiber, 11g protein
Recipe by , PCC Chef
Source: PCC Sound Consumer, August 2012
ABOUT OUR CHEF: Lynne Vea
Lynne Vea is a graduate of the Executive Chef Program at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris and has been cooking with PCC Natural Markets since 2001. Featured on King-5’s "Gardening with Ciscoe," she demonstrates easy and delicious recipes using seasonal ingredients.
Lynne is an admired PCC Cooks instructor, teaching a variety of popular PCC Cooks classes throughout the year.
She loves to collect old cookbooks, hunt for wild berries, and cook seven-course dinners where the guests are encouraged to dance and cavort between courses.
Find more recipes from Lynne.
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