Better than pizza? Probably not… but this savory goat cheese tart with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil will please everyone. Just add a green salad and a great cab for a cozy bistro night at home.
Last week my husband asked for a pizza dinner twice in the same week. We had pizza on Tuesday… and then he wanted it again on Friday. You see, pizza is his most favorite comfort food. No question about it… my husband LOVES pizza…and I truly believe he could eat pizza every day, even for breakfast, and never tire of it. But, me?… not so much. I just don’t love pizza. I don’t know why, I just don’t. But, for my husband it is the best.
Well, I just had to think of something that he would love as much as pizza, but not be pizza for me. So, I put my thinking cap on and remembered my recipe for a goat cheese tart.
I’ve been making this dish for the last 12 or 15 years. It’s one of those recipes that seems to be a good fit for a lot of occasions. I’ve made it for brunch, dinner, picnics, and special gatherings and it always seems to make a big hit. I think one of the things that makes this recipe a favorite for me is it is versatile. Not only does it fit for many occasions, but you can vary the recipe by using different types of pans, crusts, and varieties of tomatoes.
This time I used an oblong tart pan. But, you can use any tart pan shape, or a pie pan, or even go rustic with no pan.
And…as promised… I am sharing a new chart this week that also complements this recipe. So, this week’s chart compares pie crust ingredients, preparation methods, baked texture, and color.
Oh…shoot! I forgot to mention if my husband liked the goat cheese tart. His exact words? “This is better than pizza!” Hmmm… I don’t think I should completely believe that. You see, we are newlyweds.
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Goat Cheese Tart with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 Single Pie Crust of Choice or 1 Pillsbury™ Crescent Original Dough Sheet 8 oz.
- 6 oz. Crumbled Goat Cheese
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
- 3 Tablespoons Bacon Bits, From a Jar or Package
- 1 Tablespoon Wondra Flour
- ¼ Cup Fresh Basil, Cut Chiffonade (about 18 large leaves)
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic, About 3 Large Cloves
- 8 oz. Cherry Tomatoes, Halved or 6 to 8 Roma Tomatoes Cut Lengthwise in ¼” Slices
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F/204°C.
- Roll out the dough and gently ease it into a 9 ½” non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom. Firmly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If using crescent dough, trim and piece as needed. Remove any excess dough from the top of pan and dock the dough by piercing the bottom and the sides of dough with a fork.
- Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake it for 10 minutes or until very light golden brown. Remove it from the oven.
- While the tart shell bakes, halve the tomatoes, mince the garlic, and chiffonade cut the basil.
- Evenly sprinkle the goat cheese, black pepper, bacon bits, Wondra flour, and half of the basil into the tart shell.
- Using a 10” sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté 15 to 20 seconds or until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and turn heat to medium. Stir fry the tomatoes very quickly for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Evenly spoon the tomatoes and garlic over goat cheese mixture.
- Place the tart on a cookie sheet and bake it for another 14 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven.
- Let the tart cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Release the tart from the pan. Plate and garnish the tart with the remaining chiffonade basil.
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