Name: Heirloom Tomato Tart | URBAN BAKES
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French

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Nestled in a buttery, crisp puff pastry shell, vibrant colors of heirloom tomatoes, tangy dijon mustard and the soft flavors of herbs de Provence, seamlessly all shine through beautifully in this French Tomato Tart.

It’s juicy yet savory and can be made in an hour!

In the very short window between the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall, heirloom tomatoes are at their best. Though spotted in some grocers year round (usually tucked in the corner somewhere between the beefy and cherry tomatoes), it’s during this season when there’s a sudden abundance. Before you know it, in a blink of an eye, most are gone. This is the time to grab a few.

As you might agree, most tomatoes are quite juicy and heirlooms are no exception. However, they’re almost always excessively plump. Their skin feels tight and their body is quite firm which leads to a meaty tomato; a great quality to make slicing through much easier. I have yet to come across an heirloom tomato that fell apart or oozed out all of their juice when cut. Therefore, heirlooms are naturally heftier in weight.

Aside from their wonderful flavor that I’ll get to in a minute, can we take a moment to discuss their unique appearance? Is it just me or are you too, fascinated by their beauty? From the assortment of vibrant colors, striations and unique shapes, I’m in awe when I see a basketful.

But it’s the ones with the deep grooves that catch my eye. Some of these grooves are so deep they look as if someone took a string around its body, squeezed it and is about 2 milliseconds away from bursting! When sliced through, the grooves are nothing more than just an indentation in the roundness of the tomato. Quite anticlimactic if you ask me. Not sure what I was hoping to see with that.

Comparing flavor to colors of red-orange to green and from yellow to purple, much like a bag of M&M’s, the tomatoes all taste the same. That may have come as a disappointment or as a surprise depending on how you look at it. Personally, I was a little bummed discovering this after a few trips to the store. Not going to deny it, they’re a little pricey at $2.99 to $3.99 per pound. Keep in mind, they’re heavier than they look so the price can rack up rather quickly.

Because of this, I started with a green one, liked it and went back to get more colors of the rainbow. Some were sold out so I went back for a third trip. In the end, they ALL taste the same. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I thought each color, like a bag of Skittles, was going to taste a little different. Nope! Bottom line, I was not disappointed in the overall flavor. If given the option, I would choose an heirloom tomato, every time!

When you bite into an heirloom tomato, your taste buds are pleasantly awakened by the light sweetness compared to a traditional tomato. And is noticeably much less acidic. You can immediately sense the difference from a red tomato, as they can sometimes taste sour and give a sharp zing in the back of your jaw. Then, there are other times when a red tomato just simply tastes bland, no oomph to it. Heirlooms don’t disappoint!

I was only disappointed thinking each color was going to taste different from the other. Ha!

With a basketful of my own heirloom beauties and colorful cherry tomatoes, I was inspired to create a French Tomato Tart. What better way than to try a recipe from The French Cooking Academy?

Now, don’t knock it till you try it, this recipe calls for dijon mustard. Yes, you read that right, dijon. Holy bejesus, this tart is phenomenal. Since posting the second image from the top onto Instagram, I already made this exact recipe 3 to 4 times to date. Perfect every time. And is extremely easy to put together.

I made some minor tweaks from the original by placing the seasoning under the tomatoes rather than on top – found it didn’t burn doing it this way. And I used frozen [boxed] puff pastry to speed up the process. There are similar recipes that use traditional pie crust but the biggest component that lacks, is the crispness that puff pastry delivers. All-in-all, I highly recommend making this tart. Whether you’re trying something new or want to slap a quick dinner together in an hour, this is a must try and could be your next go-to recipe!

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