tomato-gruyere tart

We’ve been eating waaaaaay too much takeout pizza at our house lately. How can a cook-at-home gal like me justify it? Then I remembered this tart from my Party Appetizers book. If you cut it into big squares, it’s better than pizza for dinner and it takes less time to prep and bake than having one delivered. Plus, you can’t make your house smell this good with something from a box!

photo courtesy Chronicle Books

ingredients

1 sheet (1/2 pound) frozen puff pastry
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded Gruyére cheese
1 pound Roma tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground pepper

directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Remove puff pastry sheet from package and unfold if necessary; let stand at room temperature until pliable. Roll into a slightly larger rectangle, about 10-by-11 inches, flouring your work surface a little if it sticks. Roll pastry around rolling pin, then unroll it onto a large baking sheet. Spread the mustard in a thin layer over the pastry with a spatula. Sprinkle the shallots, then the cheese over mustard, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.

Slice tomatoes about 1/8-inch thick and arrange slices over cheese in three or four rows, overlapping as necessary and leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, over tomatoes. Fold border of pastry just over edges of tomatoes (don’t worry if it’s not perfect). Bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.