Heirloom Tomato Tart with Scallion Goat Cheese Filling

"You say tomato, I say tomahto." 

September is one of those in-between cooking months. Summer is over, but it’s still hot out and the Farmers Market bins are overflowing with juicy, ripe tomatoes in myriad of colors. Autumn root vegetables have made an appearance, and I can't wait to leap into fall, but I promised my BF I would not start decorating or making anything pumpkin-related until Oct 1. [Ed. Note: It would be "All Halloween All The Time" in this house, if she could get away with it.]

This tart is a perfect end of summer meal—lunch, brunch, dinner or an even better appetizer. It's also a great way to use up all your ripe garden tomatoes in a quick and non-fussy fashion. And on muggy odd-weather weeks like we've experienced recently in the bay area (triple-digit heat followed by monsoon rain and lightning), lets be real, I don't want to bake when it's a bajillion degrees.

I have made this tart every September for the last decade with various crusts, i.e., one sheet of defrosted puff pastry, homemade rye, buckwheat, or polenta tart crust, as well as whole wheat pizza dough. This time I made it with Vicolo cornmeal pizza crust (see picture below). This is not a sponsored post, but these ready-made crusts are a godsend: freshly made, organic, all natural, no preservatives, and there are even gluten-free options. They come pre-packaged in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (Safeway, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc.), and if you like the taste and texture of cornmeal, you won't be disappointed.  

If you can't find Vicolo in your grocery store, you can substitute with one sheet of defrosted puff pastry, rolled out to a 9x13 rectangle and placed on a baking sheet. Follow the baking instructions on the box and let it cool completely, then follow the rest of my instructions for the filling and assembly.
 
Number of Servings: Approx 2-3 (per one 8-inch tart). 

Note: Ingredient list below is for one 8-inch tart, and Vicolo crusts come in packages of two. So if you want to make both you will need to double the filling amounts below.

Ingredients

• One Vicolo cornmeal pizza crust or one sheet of defrosted puff pastry
• 4 ounces  (½ cup) whole milk fresh ricotta
• 4 ounces  (½ cup) soft goat cheese, such as chèvre (room temperature)
• 3 scallions, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• ½ teaspoon finely minced jalapeno (optional)
• ½ lemon, zested (optional)
• 1 ½ pounds tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil to finish
• Basil, julienned

Directions

1. Bake Vicolo Cornmeal Pizza Crust for 10-12  minutes. Cool completely. 
2. Mix ricotta, goat cheese, scallions, honey, jalapeno and lemon together until smooth. Mix in salt to taste.
3. Spread filling on bottom of the crust.
4. Add sliced tomatoes over the filling.
5. Salt and pepper the tart to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with basil.

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