Tomato Week:: Tomato Tart

This week, I'm covering one of my favorite summer ingredients: tomatoes. Tomato season is on the horizon and will be here before we know it. Since it's almost here, I thought this week would be the perfect time to share a few of my favorite tomato recipes.Today it's my recipe for my tomato tart. When shopping for tomatoes for this recipe, look for the heirloom variety. Truthfully, they're probably best from your local farmer's markets, but I've beautiful ones at specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods. Get a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes for the perfect tart. The uglier the better when it comes to heirlooms!

Tomato TartServes 6-8

For the Crust:

You will need:- 2 cups all-purpose flour- 1/2 cup olive oil- 1/2 tablespoon salt- 1/4 cups ice water

To prepare:Preheat the oven to 375 degrees FMake crust in a food processor. Put flour in the bowl and add oil and salt. Pulse until pebble-sized crumbs appear, and as you pulse, add water through the chute until dough comes together.

Note: You may need to add a little more water to the dough - it should form a soft ball of dough. Set the dough aside and make the filling.

Note: This is a very fragile crust; handle it with care.

For the Filling:

You will need:- 1 lb heirloom tomatoes (8 cups sliced)- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt- 4 tablespoons finely chopped shallots- 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves- 3 tablespoons olive oil- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To prepare:

Roll out the crust and place into a 9" pie tin. Place the Parmesan on the bottom of the crust.

Toss the tomatoes with the shallots, basil, salt and olive oil and place into the pie crust.

Bake at 375F for 1 hour.

This tart can be served warm of at room temperature.

xx, Annette