Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A Miraculous Meatless Meal

I was raised in cattle country so naturally, I like meat. Mr. H is certainly not a vegetarian and I don't think he'd ever become one because he likes his steak too much. Now, I'm not going to get into how we like it cooked because I might gross some people out and that is not my intention here, but my point is we are carnivorous beings and like it like that. We seldom eat a meatless meal, but when I came across this Rustic Tomato Tart on Baking and Creating with Avril, I was intrigued.

The tart remained in the back of my mind but I was a tad bit apprehensive about it because I knew Mr. H would miss his protein. Then I saw it again a couple weeks later on Maranda's Jolts & Jollies and it sealed the deal. I was definitely making this tart! It was fairly simple and it was really tasty. And the best part is, with a side salad, this makes the perfect meal.

Mr. H didn't complain once about the missing steak on his plate, which was a relief to me. But if you have a die hard meat lover in your household, some crumbled Italian sausage, salami or sliced pepperoni would be delicious in this. Or you could try making two smaller tarts, one with meat and one without and do a little taste test to see which you prefer. The crust is flaky and the filling has a kick from the garlic and mustard, while the cheese is ooey, gooey, stretchy and delicious. Don't wait as long as I did to make this.

Rustic Tomato Tart adapted from Avril and Maranda

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For The Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2-3 Tablespoons cold water

For The Filling:

  • 3 Tablespoons Dijon or whole-grain mustard
  • 2-3 large fresh tomatoes 0r 5 Roma tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs (I used basil, parsley and oregano)
  • kosher salt
  • pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

For crust: Mix salt and flour in medium bowl. With pastry cutter cut in chilled butter until mixture has a cornmeal consistency.

In separate bowl, lightly beat egg; add 2 Tablespoons water.

Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour egg mixture in the well; mix until well incorporated and a non-sticky dough forms. If dough is still too dry, add third Tablespoon of water.

Knead dough into a ball, transfer to parchment paper or a Silpat; roll out into a 14 inch circle. Transfer parchment paper or Silpat and dough to a rimmed baking sheet.

For Filling: Spread mustard over the unbaked crust until well covered, leaving about an 1 1/2-inch border.

Slice tomatoes and arrange in a single layer in the center of crust. Scatter freshly minced garlic over tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt, red pepper flakes and dried herbs.

Top with sliced mozzarella; sprinkle with a bit more salt, pepper flakes and basil.

Bring edges of crust up over the edges of tomato and cheese.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is brown and bubbly.

Allow to cool about 10 minutes, slice into wedges with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

oh, Lordy!

53 comments:

Laura said...

I am expecting to see this vegetarian delight linked up pretty quickly! And you know I'll be making this one for sure. Looks killer.

Julie @ Willow Bird Baking said...

aggggghhgkjnr;n I want this SO BAD.

♥peachkins♥ said...

Gosh, this looks heavenly!

Faith said...

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELTED CCHEEESE !!!! ooo emmmm geeee. Yes!
That looks amazing!

Katie said...

Looks delicous! A short of rustic pizza. I'll have to try it on my family who are all big meat eaters

cybil said...

mouthwatering!

Debbie said...

It's unbelievable how good that looks...wow! Monica you are a genius....I am going to HAVE to make that here!

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Oh my, Monica - you are totally making me drool this morning. This sounds amazing!

Our household is like yours - I don't mind missing meal in a meal, but hubby is a major carnivore. I can only get away with meatless if there's a lot of cheese involved.

:)
ButterYum

Julie said...

Oh goodness, my "to make" list just go a little longer! So much cheesy tomato-ey goodness, what's not to love?? I'm quite the carnivore too, but occasionally I'm okay with skipping it and having this would definitely be one of those times.

Cassie said...

Oh Lordy is right!! That looks AMAZING!!

cookies and cups said...

gorgeous!! My husband would love this. I bet the mustard is terrific on it :)

Mel said...

Wow, Monica - that tart looks incredible! Really incredible. I might even be able to convince my husband, who is also a meat-lover, that it is a complete meal. Love it!

Janet said...

Oh Lordy is right! Yum!

I am intimidated by homemade pie crust but this is one recipe that might make me take the plunge!

Beautifully executed and photographed, Monica! LOVE IT!

Unknown said...

You are torturing me, this is my favorite post I have read today. What a thing of beauty.

Unknown said...

Oh my GOODNESS! That tart looks to die for!!!!! Mmmmmmmmm

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Hold the tomatoes and I'm in! :) I admit it is a FINE looking tart.
~ingrid

Amber said...

This will be on my dinner table next week for sure! Oh that looks amazing!

Susan at www.ugogrrl.com said...

Oh my - This looks to die for!

Susan www.ugogrrl.com

Sue said...

This is my kind of food. I eat meat, mostly chicken and fish when I can get it. I do still eat beef on occasion, but sometimes we have meatless meals. As long as there is cheese...mmm! I'm going to be making this one.

Unknown said...

Oh my! Look at all that cheese! And my vegetarian mother-in-law will be in a few weeks for Christmas.

tamilyn said...

CHEEEEEEZY baby! Yum!

Coleens Recipes said...

This is amazing!!!

Joyti said...

It looks delicious - a bit like a very grown-up and sophisticated artisan pizza.
I'm from California - and a Hindu on top of that - so as you can imagine its not too hard for me to imagine vegetarian meals.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Oh my gosh it looks amazing!!!! All that melty cheese goodness.

Natasha @ Saved by the Egg Timer said...

Oh lordy is right! This looks lushess, gooey and golden. Hungry now...

DarleneEats said...

I made this tonight because I had all the ingredients with leftovers and it was amazing. Thank you for turning an idea of going out to eat to a delicious meal instead.

-DAH!

Avril said...

First of all I must give Mr. H a huge "yahoo" of congratulations for surviving it through a meal (and enjoying it!) without meat! ;-) You did such a gorgeous job Monica in putting this savory tart together that of course Mr. H couldn't resist it and ate it with happiness. Man am I missing the good summer tomatoes right now to make this tart....imported tomatoes will have to do so that I can satisfy my craving for this meal after yours! :-)

EFT for Cancer said...

I am not expecting that it would turn out like this! It seems so zesty and delicious!

TESOL certification said...

I do admit that I'm also a meat lover. But this dish is surprisingly amazing! I just love cheese and I would eat everything on it.

Heather S-G said...

Lordy, LORDY!!! Holy shnikeys...now I have to make one. It does look seriously fantastic. My hubs is the same way, but I bet he'd take this as a meal...and tell me he was hungry again in an hour...but, hey! LOL! Serious yum, Monica!

Patti said...

Oh my! Look at all that yummy gooey melted cheese! The guys in my house can have their carnivore lovers pizza tonight, loaded with chicken, sausage,pepperoni and bacon...I'm making this for me! Yum!

(Nicole) The Very Hungry Caterpillar said...

oh I love this... anything with melted cheese melts my heart.... Thanks for commenting on my cookies yesterday at the girl who ate everything!!

Maria said...

That looks too good to be true!

Unknown said...

Oh man those pictures are gorgeous! I actually have that on the menu for this weekend. A friend of mine added chicken to hers (boiled then shredded) so I'm going to try it that way. She says her hubby is obsessed with the tart. I'm glad you both liked it and that Mr. H wasn't too sad about the lack of meat flavor!

Lorraine said...

You make everything look so darn good. This looks really good. I am intrigued by the mustard. That is nothing something I would expect on something like this. I think my family will enjoy it...thanks:)

Kerstin said...

That last picture with the melty cheese is making my mouth water - this looks like it would be a huge hit at a holiday party!

Healthy and Homemade said...

OMG I'm dying. Pizza is my favorite food and this looks soooo good. Can I start my diet later and just live off of this??

Allie said...

Oh lordy is right! And if it weren't so late at night I'd be running to the grocery store to get the ingredients for this right now. Your photos are amazing.

Abby said...

I try to cook meatless at least once a week. This would be the perfect dish for our vegetarian nights!

Becky @ Becky's Place said...

I've got to make this this week. Hmm... maybe tomorrow night. Yummo.

Lynn said...

Oh yum, does this ever look good! You have some wonderful looking recipes on your site. It's my first time visiting and why, oh why, haven't I found you before now? ;)

Kelley said...

I made this last night for my 3 boys (2 little & 1 big), and it was a HIT!! It was so flavorful! The crust was a perfect tender flakiness that really offset the filling. Excellent!!

Anonymous said...

I have just stumbled across your blog, and I am so making this...
My family also likes meat but sometimes I just want to make something without it. Your food looks amazing.

Linda Cox said...

I made this last night and it was divine! Using a food processor for the crust, the whole tart went together in a flash with no muss or fuss

camie said...

Oh wow, this looks fantastic!

Sunny said...

I'm making this next week for the family.....I'm gonna either add some crumbled bacon/ham to it- or I'm gonna do baked pork chops with it. This is defo a meat-eating family!! I'm gonna make a tiny meatless one for me, too. I like a meatless meal a couple times a week, myself. :-)

sara Van Zee said...

This looks incredible! With all my heritage tomatoes ready to pick this will be GREAT! I am contemplating to use pesto instead of the mustard....wondering if that would give it enough kick with all the cheese?

ghadee said...

I have tried this recipe and the result was very tasty
.. Always waiting for new recipes

ghadee..

Katie said...

I found your blog and this recipe through Pinterest. All of your recipes look fantastic, and I've become a subscriber!

I made this tart for dinner tonight, and it was wonderful. It's summer here in Argentina, where I live, and so I used fresh herbs from our garden instead of dried. I used a little less olive oil and a bit more garlic (my husband is a garlic fiend). I thought this was fab with a big salad. Thanks for the great recipe!

Doskogirl said...

I made your tart tonight and blogged about it! So Good!!!! http://imadoskogirl.blogspot.com/2012/09/tomato-pie.html

Theresa said...

That looks SO yummy! My friend Julie sent me over because she knows how many tomatoes I have had from the garden! I WILL be making this for dinner tonight:) Thank you for sharing this recipe! HUGS!

blogger said...

What a delicious recipe. I will prepare this recipe in my kitchen. Thanks for your share.

Anonymous said...

What about the mustard? Can you taste it? For those of us mustard haters, I'm curious. Thx!

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