Used end-of-season cherry tomato bounty to make Tanya Tandoc’s Provencal Chevre Tart
This time of year, the summer produce is still plentiful, and fall produce is arriving in stores and appearing in your garden. You might be a little tired of tomatoes, so try this week’s recipe for a Provencal Chevre Tart as a new way to use up those cherry tomatoes from the garden (or store).
This recipe is from the late Tanya Tandoc, may she rest in peace. Her bright light and delicious food is missed by our community. Thankfully, we still have her restaurant to patronize. And I dug this recipe out of my archives from a cooking class she taught in my kitchen in 2010 before she reopened Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.
If last week’s lamb recipe didn’t excite you, this one should. It marries all the great things about summer – including tomatoes and fresh herbs — and it’s on a bed of puff pastry.
Anything with puff pastry is irresistible. You sprinkle goat cheese, tomatoes, shallot, thyme, basil and parsley then add a bit of heavy cream on top, bake it until the pastry is golden brown, and you have a delicious tart. Serve it as a side, as the main dish for lunch with a green leafy salad or even for breakfast. This recipe is versatile, and since it makes two tarts, you can have leftovers.
Provencal Chevre Tart
1 package puff pastry, thawed
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 pints grape tomatoes or small cherry tomatoes, sliced thin
2 large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoon heavy cream
Heat oven to 425. Open up the package of puff pastry and separate the two pieces. Place each one on a sheet pan and pinch up the edges to make a little ridge.
Divide all ingredients in half. Layer the ingredients — goat cheese, tomatoes, shallot, herbs, salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons heavy cream over each tart and place in the oven. Bake until pastry is puffed and brown and tomatoes have begun to soften, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot or warm.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 12:16 PM.