Tomato Tart Provencal
In the summer when my tomatoes are at their peak, I love to whip up this Tomato Tart for a light lunch. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the beautiful colors and varieties of heirloom tomatoes. And the flavors are just divine!
It’s a popular French recipe that’s made in France in the summertime. You can serve it with a salad or as an appetizer before the main course!
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What are the Best Varieties of Tomatoes to Use?
I think these tarts are most beautiful when you can use a variety of tomatoes in different colors so feel free to mix them up! Some of my favorites include:
- Cherokee Purples for their rich deep red color
- Kellog’s Breakfast for their bright yellow color
- Throw in a few Green Zebras or Mr. Stripey’s for their pretty striped designs
- Nestle in a few cherry tomatoes for their color and size.
These are all varieties I grow in my garden each year and I love to make this tart as a fun way to show off my harvest! Looking for tips on growing tomatoes? Watch my Tomato Growing Tutorial on my gardening YouTube Channel.
The Process
It’s really a simple technique that is kind of like making a “French” pizza. You’ll make a savory tart crust, I like to add fresh thyme to mine since it adds another flavor and also looks beautiful. Then you line the base of your tart with Dijon mustard, Gruyere cheese, and herbs to Provence and then top with sliced tomatoes, bake and garnish with fresh basil.
What are herbs de Provence?
Herbs de Provence is a marvelous blend of dried herbs that is popular in the Provence region of the South of France.
The blend includes equal portions of dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried marjoram, and dried fennel seeds. You can buy them online or you can mix up your own blend with these dried herbs and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
I use it a lot in my recipes because I find it adds so much flavor with just a little dash here or there. It’s great when used in my Provencal Chicken Stew Recipe or my Franglais Burgers. So it’s worth buying a small jar of it since you can use it for other things!
How To Make Your Own Blend
To create your own Herbs de Provence mix together 1 tablespoon (15 ml) each of the following herbs:
- dried thyme
- dried rosemary
- dried oregano
- dried marjoram
- and dried fennel seeds.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Don’t skimp on the cheese!
Adding the cheese to the bottom of the tart serves as a barrier between the crust and the tomatoes and prevents them from making the crust soggy as this tart bakes in the oven. It also adds great flavor too and makes these tarts more filling as well.
Make this tart for lunch, brunch, or just a light outdoor super. It will become a go-to favorite in your summer repertoire! Enjoy!
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Tomato Tart Provencal Recipe
In the summer when my tomatoes are at their peak, I love to whip up this little number for a light lunch. Tomato Tart Provencal is a perfect lunch!
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) flour
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 2 tsp (10 ml) dried Thyme or fresh works too
- 10 tablespoons (150 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) ice water
For Filling:
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of Dijon mustard
- 2 cups (480 ml) gruyere cheese
- 2 tsp (10 ml) Herbs de Provence*
- 3 full sized tomatoes different colors, sliced
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, different colors, sliced
For Garnish:
- Fleur de sel
- Freshly cracked Pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, thyme in a food processor and pulse. Cut butter into small cubes and add to food processor and pulse.
- Combine eggs with ice water, add to food processor, pulsing until a dough forms. Remove dough and cut in half, form each one into a rectangle.
- Roll out to about 14 x 5 rectangle, ¼ inch thick.
- Press dough into tin, folding over edges into the tin to create a thicker crust along the side. Trim dough so that it is flush with the top of the tin. Repeat the process for the second tart.
- Then place 2 tbsp of the Dijon mustard in each tart and spread to form a thin layer.
- Top with the cheese, sprinkle 1 tsp of Herbs de Provence on each tart, line with 1 layer of sliced tomatoes (the large ones) alternating the colors.
- Fill in the gaps with the small cherry tomatoes, alternating colors.
- Pop in the freezer for 10 mins to chill the pastry well before baking.
- Bake at 425F (218C) for 30-35 mins until pastry is golden brown.
- Serve tarts either hot or at room temperature. Garnish with freshly cracked pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt and finish with a sprinkle of fresh basil. Cut into triangles or squares.
- Serve with a tossed salad and a chilled glass of rose wine.
Notes
- To create your own Herbs de Provence mix together 1 tablespoon (15 ml) each of the following: dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried marjoram, and dried fennel seeds. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 243mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Can this be made the day before and reheated before serving? Also, can the dough be made in advance and refrigerated and/or frozen?
Yes of course you could make it a day ahead and reheat, and yes the dough can absolutely be made the day ahead too 🙂
Process until dough is formed…. that’s the problem. oh well. I use my pie dough from now on, the filling was a good combo.
You might want to let your readers know not to overprocess ( dough formed) the crust needs pea sized pieces of fat and that they can knead it together and fold a couple of times to obtain the desired flaky crust.
A mealy texture can also be the result of the fat being “overcut” or broken down into pieces that are too small; having pea-size clumps or chunks of fat in a pastry dough creates a nice, flaky texture. If the fat pieces become too small, the texture will become sandy or mealy, rather than flaky.
Hello Beth! This recipe was sitting in my head for some time already. I had the pan, but i always had some excuse not to make it. I made it yesterday for my small garden party. Finally 🙂 It was a blast! It disappeared from the plate very quickly. It is a very nice and easy to make dish. Thank you!
P.S. I have read a book as well 🙂
Awe yay! So glad it was a hit! 🙂 And such a fun book too isn’t it! Ha!
Hi Beth, this looks so good but there are really no reviews (pingbacks, gonna try it, and your replies). It says 15 reviews equalling 4.3 stars above but then also 10 reviews but I can’t find any. I think it’s better to have a few recipes w so-so reviews than no real content in reviews section that is not providing feedback. I rely on reviews to assess whether I should spend time on a recipe or even tweak it per a reviewer suggestion You’re obviously a great chef and maybe aren’t aware of this here.
Oh they are all there, if you scroll past the recipe card you’ll find the reviews are at the bottom :). You can also find reviews via the comments on this video on my YouTube channel. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/dpq0cCv8efo?si=tWAzjFZ-4HWACTfb&t=82
Hi Beth! I haven’t visited your site in so long! Sorry! I have made your quiche twice before and it was always a hit. I got my very first rectangular tart pan and looking to make another tart/quiche and I find your tomato recipe! Can’t wait to try it! Hope to see more savory tart variations in the future!
Oh Yeah! You will love the rectangular pan 🙂 So great and versatile! And yes that tomato tart is really a great one! Hope you also enjoy 🙂