One of the great joys of summer is heirloom tomatoes, and with that joy is heirloom tomato tart. It’s a way to showcase the some of the most colorful produce of the summer in a crowd-pleasing way.
Plus, you can enjoy it however you like it. Do you serve it warm? Sure. Do you serve it at room temperature? Totally fine. Have we ever eaten it cold out of the refrigerator? Yes, don’t judge.
What are Heirloom Tomatoes?
Heirloom tomatoes are original tomatoes grown from the seeds of the generation before them. Heirloom tomatoes are almost always open-pollinated, meaning that they’re pollinated by natural means like bees and wind, not by farmer intervention. They are not genetically modified, which explains their irregular and wildly varying shapes and colors. (Large farms breed supermarket tomatoes for consistency in shape and color.)
The upside of all of this is that heirloom tomatoes – naturally grown with authentic tomato taste – are among the most delicious and most colorful fruits of the summer. The flavors are magnificent, and widely varied. Even better, no matter what dishes you create with heirloom tomatoes, no two plates will look alike.
(Note that even if you don’t have a farm near you, you can often find heirloom tomatoes in grocery stores these days. We got these organic beauties from Melissa’s Produce.)
How Do You Make a Tart with Puff Pastry?
Some people make their own puff pastry, but in many cases the pre-made store-bought pastry is just as good as homemade. Plus – it’s a cinch to put together.
Most puff pastry comes frozen. Ideally, you should plan to defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. Then when you take it out in the morning, it should be ready to unroll and use.
For this tart, we used two large sheets. We cut the second sheet into strips to create a “crust” around the edge of the tart.
One danger with making any kind of tomato tart is that it can get too watery. We tried to prevent that issue in two ways: One, we pre-baked the puff pastry before adding the tomatoes (as noted in the recipe) to crisp it up a little bit. Two, while the puff pastry baked, we salted the tomatoes and let them drain off some of their water.
Easy Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pesto Recipe
Easy Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pesto
A summery tomato tart made with heirloom tomatoes and pesto on puff pastry.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (approximately 9" x 11")
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3-4 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
- kosher salt (optional)
- basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
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Roll out the sheet of puff pastry. Cut 1/2-inch strips from a second sheet of puff pastry until you have enough strips to create a "crust" around the edges of the first sheet. Dab a bit of water on each strip to attach it to the main sheet. Prick a fork in several places around the puff pastry to allow it to "breathe" while baking.
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Spread pesto on the surface of the tart. Brush the exterior crust with beaten egg. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
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Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in thin slices. Set them out on parchment paper over a cooling rack and sprinkle them with salt. (This will allow them to drain off excess water.)
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Remove the crust from the oven and layer the tomato slices over the crust in whatever pattern you like. Return to the oven, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with kosher salt and garnish with fresh basil leaves (optional). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do you love heirloom tomatoes as much as we do? You might also want to try our Sheet Pan Panzanella Salad (tomato and bread salad). Or if you’re feeling a little crazy, and you have some tamarillos on hand (!!!) you can try this Tamarillo Tart.
If you simply love puff pastry, try these Patriotic Puff Pastry Flags (perfect for patriotic summer holidays!).
Hi! I'm Jeanne Fratello - a writer, reporter, and food enthusiast who is on a mission to write great stories about food and where your food comes from.
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