05.10.2011 Heirloom tomato and caramelized onion tart with a whole wheat and olive oil crust
Tarts don't have to always be a train wreck for your diet. Last night I was in the mood for a wholesome dinner and decided to dig out my whole wheat and olive oil crust recipe. This rustic crust is a splendid base for this tart filled with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, fresh thyme and topped with flavorful heirloom tomatoes (pictured above before going into the oven). The sweet onions and tomatoes are a perfect balance to the earthy crust. My extremely skeptical family fervently ate every crumb!
Last month I was featured in the "food section" of our local news paper and this whole wheat crust was one of the recipes that they published (That's "pain au chocolat" that they are referring to, not "pan"). I just realized that I hadn't shared this awesome crust recipe with my readers yet...
Heirloom tomatoes are ultra hip and current right now even though the word "heirloom" implies they have been around for ages. After some digging, I came to realize that the word "heirloom" can mean many different things depending on how it is used. For example, "family heirlooms" are simply seeds that have been passed down for several generations within a family while "commercial heirloom" means an open pollinated variety of tomato introduced before 1940 or a variety that has been around 50 years or more.
I'm all about this simple dough recipe because I can quickly pull it together by hand with no food processor clean up. That's huge.
Heirloom tomato tart
1 recipe whole wheat and olive oil pastry crust (see below)
2 large sweet onions - thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt (for the onions)
4 ounces gruyère cheese - grated
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (for the custard)
3 heirloom tomatoes - sliced about 1/2 inch thick
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large pan. Add the onions, thyme (reserving a teaspoon to sprinkle on top later), and salt. Caramelize the onions for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally to keep the onions from sticking to the bottom.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, cream, milk, and salt.
Place the caramelized onions in the pre-baked whole wheat tart crust. Pour the custard over the top, being careful not to overflow and allowing room for the tomatoes. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the onions. Arrange the tomatoes on top in a lovely pattern. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown.
Whole wheat and olive oil pastry crust
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil and combine. Add water and combine just until the water in absorbed. With one ridiculously clean hand gently kneed the dough just until it comes together. Form into a ball.
Place the dough ball on a floured work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Roll out into a 12"circle. Sprinkle flour on dough as needed so that it doesn't stick. Use firm quick movements when rolling out so as not to overwork the dough. Transfer the dough to your 10" tart pan and gently fit it in. Trim the excess. Press a piece of foil (12 by 13 inches) into the edges of the shell and cover with foil completely touching and covering the entire shell. Chill for at least 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Fill the tart shell with pie weights or dried beans (the foil is still on). Bake for 20 minutes and then remove pie weights and foil and bake for about 5 more minutes. The shell is ready to fill. This recipe makes dough for one 10" or 11" tart pan.
I'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to comment on the heirloom tomato tart or have any suggestions from your experiences, please click here.
Reader Comments (47)
Oh Lisa ! Can't wait till you make this in mich!!
Ohhh, I'm thrilled to pieces by this crust!! :-) I love whole wheat tart crusts but only have one in my repertoire. This will be joining it shortly. :-)
This sounds fantastic. I love how you use olive oil in the crust. Plus you've managed to include some of my favorite ingredients in the filling. This is a keeper!
Oh that looks just delicious. I made a similar pie recently with tomatoes, thai eggplants and trufled balsamic vinegar. Just stunning picture of your pie, learned a lot a lot about the heirloom type now
Congrats on being on the local newspaper!!! :) How exciting.
I am also ALL about simple dough recipes too...your version looks way more healthy than many i've come acrossed!
will be making this for dinner one of these days! i can't wait! (also cant believe a tart this size only uses 2 eggs too! haha)
Your heirloom tomato tart is gorgeous!! I love the whole wheat crust, what a fantastic idea. Caramelised onion and tomatoes are such a winning combination.
Gorgeous tart! This looks really delicious, and what a lovely presentation with the tomato slices on top!
Congratulations on your newspaper feature and thankyou for sharing your crust recipe with us. It looks gorgeous! :D
Congratulations on being featured in the paper! That is one amazing looking tart.
How did the olive oil crust compare to the texture of the more traditional butter-based crust?
Lauren - The crust has a nice texture but is definitely less flakey and airy than a pastry crust with butter in it... more dense.
Delightful. Classic. And the crust a snap. Printing. I'll try it with white whole wheat I think...
I must try this dough. My husband is a diabetic but with the whole wheat flour incorporated into the crust I think he could have just a little slice and be fine. He's so so careful on how eats - well I'm the head chef and do all the carb / calorie counting. You'd think I'd be as thin as he - NOT!
Our Farmers Market does not open until next week here in southern Ohio and the heirloom tomatoes will not make their appearance for quite some time after that......but when they do, this will be the first recipe I try. Can't wait
This recipe is gorgeous! Such beautiful pictures. I can't wait to try it!
omg this looks heavenly! I will have to make it too.
Ok I know you AREN'T a mean girl so your flaunting of this delicious tart when it's snowing here in CO I'll take to be more of an advertisement of seasonally what we can look forward to! I love heirloom tomoatos and grew only heirlooms last year. I love their history and the idea they have traveling through time and across continents to still be grown today.
Your tart sounds soul warming. Though I cannot eat wheat I can imagine the flavors and the comforting quality of it. Congrats on your newspaper feature. Am sure there will be many more. Love you. Love your blog.
Alright, I officially can not wait another moment for our farmers markets to get tomatoes in. I must make this immediately!
Thanks for this fabulous tart crust recipe! I love that it doesn't have to be chilled before rolling it out. I love to make tarts and quiches, but it's always the crust that gets me. (When I was in France, they had fabulous premade tart crusts, but they don't really exist here.) How does this crust work with sweet fillings? (BTW, this is my first time to your blog, I think, and I can't believe I've been missing out on it all of this time!)
This tart hold some of my favorite ingredients, heirloom tomatoes, gruyère cheese, and caramelized onions, how could I resist? Thanks for the recipe.
~Brenda
Ooooo, I LOVE fresh tomato tarts and this crust sounds too good to be true!
This looks just beautiful. Wholesome indeed! I will definitely be trying this recipe, thank you so much :) Perfect for a Sunday lunch!
Heidi xo
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog & the kind words on the Bourbon-Pecan Pie. A huge compliment coming from you! Your work is inspiring.
Ironically, I've had a Tomato Tart on my mind for about a week or so. Just looking for the perfect farmer's market fresh tomatoes to star ;-)
I adore the idea of a whole wheat and olive oil pastry crust! What a healthy idea! I can't wait to try it. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Your tart looks stunning with the beautiful tomatoes. Have a great weekend!
Congratulation on being featured in the local paper. So excited!
the tart looks great. I love heirloom tomatoes and pray the rain will stop so the farmer's market is on tomorrow.
I'm also intrigued by the olive oil crust. have to give it a try.
Thanks for sharing Lisa
Lisa this tart is beautiful. I can't wait for summer, we have tomatoes like that just down the street. I eat them all summer and like trying them in new ways like this tart. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
-Gina-
This tart is gorgeous and it sounds so delicious! I'm not usually a savory tart person, but this could convert me:-)
LOVELY tart, darling! It's almost too pretty to eat :) Thanks so much for sharing and for swinging by Deep Dish!
Congratulations, that is so exciting!! Your tart is simply lovely, too. I love heirloom tomatoes, and they look stunning here. The crust sounds delicious!
This is beautiful! I love the colors of the tomatoes on top of the tart, heirlooms are such lovely colors! The gruyere is a nice addition as well, so flavorful! I could eat this whole thing! :)
What a lovely site. So happy to have found it! The pictures are gorgeous and this crust sounds wonderful. I love that it uses olive oil. Genius!
Congrats!!! YAAAY! So exciting!
If it wasn't midnight, I would jump straight into the kitchen to make this beautiful looking tart!! Especially that crust...wow...I can only imagine its amazing taste!
Those heirloom tomatoes are just gorgeous, and your tart highlights them perfectly!
We just had an apple pie with a whole wheat crust last night and it was such a disappointment! I love a whole wheat pie crust when it's properly executed, but alas that seems rare. I love this recipe and am sure your crust will be delicious. HEirlooms and caramelized onions... hard to beat ! Yum!
What a gorgeous tart! Those heirloom tomatoes must so delicious!
I need to make this! I'm sure it won't come out as beautiful as yours, but I think I will get some points by my boyfriend for at least trying. I'll just show him your blog afterwards and say,"This is what it's supposed to look like." :)
Wow, this is such a gorgeous and delicious looking tart. Who cares about diet when this is done baking? lol. Congrats on your bit in your local paper. How exiting!
This looks great! I made a similar caramelized onion tarte before, but i used a premade crust. I'm excited to try to make my own, and I love that it's whole wheat.
Do you know how it would work out if I made the dough (or even pre-baked the crust) a day ahead and refridgerated it until I made the whole thing?
Thanks!
Jill - With this crust you could make and pre-bake the crust the day ahead. I would then cover the pre-baked shell and refrigerate. I haven't left this unbaked dough in the re-fridge overnight before and with the olive oil instead of butter I'm not sure how successful it would be... so definitely pre-bake it too.
Wow, what a beautiful tart Lisa...love everything...the shell and the filling. So elegantly done...
Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)
This looks absolutely fabulous. Wanted to leave a comment on your new post, trash-free and package free kitchen but just to let you know there's a problem with the comment link.
I have never seen such a beautiful and orderly kitchen! You are such inspiration to us all. If everyone did this, the world would be a different place. BRAVO!
hi lisa! i'm just wondering whether this tart shell would work with sweet fillings? ive been wanting to bake a rich chocolate tart that's not too sweet and buttery so remembered your whole wheat/olive oil tart recipe! do you think this shell would go well with chocolate? thanks!!
Vivienne- I think it sounds great! Give it a try! The olive oil is not a very pronounced flavor in the crust however, maybe use a lighter olive oil. This crust is not light and flakey like a short crust with butter but it is delicious none the less. Let me know how it works out if you try it!
thank you, lisa :) will be giving it a go tonight, can't wait!
I just made this for dinner tonight with heirloom tomatoes from my garden. I made it with a few adjustments and with the Pâte Brisée recipe I found on another one of your posts instead of this whole wheat one. Anyway... it was AMAZING. My husband and toddler loved it. Thank you!
Amy, glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for the feedback!
This is the perfect crust of the amazing simple flavorful rustic result you are aiming for. Thanks for the inspiration...check our blog to see what i made of it with caramelized onions and vegetables