Weekly Dish

See that lovely tart in the picture? Yes, the one with the first-of-the-summer tomatoes, oiled and salted to bring out their sweet freshness, lying atop a bed of soft, buttery caramelized Vidalia onions. The one with the ooey gooey melted fresh mozzarella and the fresh basil leaves, wilted from the heat of the oven.

Would you like to know how delicious it tasted?

Yep, so would I.

Seconds after the photograph was taken, that lovely tart lay face down on my kitchen tiles, the victim of a violent combination: a super-slippery nonstick tart pan, an Orca oven mitt, and a slick plate. I turned to place the tart on a cutting surface to serve, just minutes before the next-to-last episode of LOST began, and, splat. Just like that, an hour’s worth of cooking and a market Saturday’s worth of tomatoes and onions lost to the not-so-recently mopped kitchen floor.

An hour later, Lebanese take-out assuaged my hunger, but the bitter taste of disappointment did not dissipate until morning.

Here’s the recipe anyhow; perhaps one day I’ll gather the courage to try it again and let you know how it comes out.

Tomato-Vidalia Tart
1 pie crust, refrigerated or homemade
3 small tomatoes, sliced into rounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
Kosher salt
2 T. butter
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced thinly into half moons
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the tomato slices, olive oil, and 2 cloves of the minced garlic. Sprinkle with Kosher salt (about a teaspoon). Set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown (this process took me about 25 minutes, but it depends on the thickness and wateriness of your onions, so watch them carefully). When they are brownish, sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt.
Meanwhile, lay the pie crust over a tart pan; press into the sides and trim to fit around the edges. Sprinkle the remaining garlic clove evenly over the bottom of the crust. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the bottom is beginning to brown. Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the bottom of the crust. Lay the tomatoes on top of the onion bed in two layers. Top with the mozarella cheese and half of the basil. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining basil. Be VERY careful removing the tart from the oven, and lay it on a safe surface to cut the pie into wedges.

I hope it’s good…maybe I’ll find out someday soon!

Posted: Saturday, May 20th, 2006 at 9:32 am Filed under: Main Dish, Vegetables, Comfort Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.