Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

When Tommy and I first began dating, we took a road trip to Montreal. Arriving to the city late in the evening, we grabbed a drink and dinner at the hotel bar. A hidden culinary gem it was not, and the goat cheese pizza we ordered turned out to be a huge mistake. It was disgusting. The cheese was sour, and most likely rotten. A taste like that is not soon forgotten.

While my faith in goat cheese has be restored in the past few years, Tommy runs the opposite direction at the mere mention. Sometimes I use it deceitfully to my advantage. Oh, this cookie? Sorry, it has goat cheese it in. This fudge sundae? Yup, goat cheese again!

I have tried to sneak goat cheese into dishes, bribed him into trying bites, but he refuses, shakes his head continuously, and utters "Montreal" under this breath. So when I made this tart over the weekend, I knew he wouldn't be interested. But by the next afternoon, the leftovers taunted him as lunch time approached and his stomach began to rumble. A few minutes later I hear, “Oh my god, this is really good!” Damnit. Now I’m going to have to find another way to keep him from eating all my cookies.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
serves 4

1 pastry puff sheet, rolled thin
3 eggs
1/4 c milk
3-4 oz crumbled goat cheese
3 T grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 leeks (white and green parts only), chopped
2 tomatoes, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 350F. In a 9 1/2” tart pan, press pastry sheet firmly into bottom and edges. Trim and discard excess. Pierce all over with a fork and place in freezer, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk. Stir in goat cheese, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and leeks, and sauté 5-7 minutes, until garlic in golden brown. Transfer to bowl with eggs and stir well. Pour mixture into pre-baked pastry puff. Lay tomato slices on top.

Place in oven and bake 35 minutes, until top puffs and begins to brown. Transfer to counter and allow to cool. Press bottom of tart pan up, releasing sides and place on a flat surface. Cut into wedges to serve.