Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Is baking "bready" sweets at home intimidating to you? I'll bake a few things here and there, but I'm certainly a novice when it comes to making things like muffins, scones, tarts, and pastries from scratch. I usually like to leave those up to the professionals.

However, I recently look a cooking class at Sur La Table on the basics of French cooking. One of the things we made was a Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart - a savory treat made of layered onions, tomatoes, an egg mixture, topped with goat cheese and baked in the oven.

So why am I not calling this Tomato & Goat Cheese Quiche, you ask? Quiches are actually in the "savory tart" food family (and what a lucky family to be in, might I add). But since this is made in a tart pan, and no one really cares about the overlap between "quiche" and "tart," let's just keep calling it tart.

The only slightly difficult part about the tart was the dough - either you have make your own (see above: not for me!) or use frozen pie dough. I used some from Trader Joe's that started to crack as it thawed. We had to roll with it - literally - and balled up the dough (which was supposed to thaw perfect and uncracked) and re-rolled it out on our own.

The onions, chopped and sauteed with lemon zest and fresh thyme, make the bottom layer. Then, thinly sliced Roma tomatoes are next. An egg/milk/sour cream mixture is poured over top and seeps into the nooks and crannies of the tart.

Then, the crumbled goat cheese brings it all together. I've made this with regular goat cheese and herbed goat cheese; both are delicious, but I recommend hand-crumbling the cheese (breaking if off a log) over buying packaged crumbled cheese.

This unassuming dish seems ordinary yet event worthy and is wonderful for any meal of the day. Serve with breakfast potatoes and a simple green salad for brunch or lunch. Serve alongside grilled chicken and asparagus for a simple dinner.

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Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Special equipment: a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom

• 1 frozen pastry/pie crust, or homemade 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons minced basil, divided
• 4 firm-ripe plum tomatoes (Roma tomatoes)
• 3 ounces soft goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Lightly butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and set aside.

2. Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and cook until tender and almost caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme and lemon zest, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, sour cream, milk, 2 tablespoons basil, salt and pepper.

4. Spread the onion mixture over the bottom of the tart. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the top of the onion mixture. Pour the filling over the top, sprinkle with goat cheese and transfer to the oven to bake until the edges are golden brown and the filling is set, 30-40 minutes. If the filling might appear watery around the tomatoes, check for doneness in another area.

5. Transfer the tart from the oven to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly. Remove the side of the tart pan by placing the pan on a can or a bowl and allowing the side to drop. Move the tart to a flat surface and slice into wedges. Garnish with remaining basil.