Tomato Cheese Herb Tart with Artichokes

This is a great dish for an appetizer or, paired with a simple green salad, makes a delicious light lunch. The herbs really bring out the flavor of the roasted tomatoes and artichokes. If you have access to home grown tomatoes, its even better. I used red beefsteak tomatoes but you can also experiment with heirloom tomatoes or use a mix of red, yellow and orange tomatoes for a fancier presentation.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 ready-made pie crust or your own, about 12" in diameter.
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 9 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Next, slice your tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Discard the ends (or save them for a sandwich or other dish). Cut each slice in half.

Arrange the slices on paper towels. This will draw out the excess moisture from the tomatoes so that your tart doesn’t end up soggy. Allow the tomatoes to drain on the paper towels for 45 minutes.

Apply a light coat of cooking spray to the tart pan to ensure easy removal after its baked. Using a ready-made pie crust or your own, press it into an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. If you do not have a tart pan, you can use a baking sheet. It'll work fine. You just won't have the fluted sides when its finished.

 We are going to blind bake this first. Blind baking means to pre-bake the crust with weights to prevent it from puffing up. Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of your crust. Cover it with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use glass beads purchased at any craft store (as I did) or dried beans.

 Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for a couple more minutes until the crust is a pale golden color. Don’t worry if your crust cracks a little. The cheese will act as glue, holding everything together.

Now we are ready to assemble the tart.

Begin by layering the Swiss cheese slices on your cooled crust.  

Next, add the tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a circular pattern.

Now its time to add the herbs. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of dried basil, oregano and thyme. I used dry herbs to keep it simple but if you choose to use fresh herbs, make sure to double the amount.

 

Season the tart with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Sprinkle the tart with the artichoke hearts followed by the Parmesan cheese.

 Bake it until the cheese melts and the tomatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Once the tart pan has cooled enough to where you can touch it, remove it from the pan by sliding the sides down. The tart should slide right off the bottom.

Enjoy!