Tomato Goat Cheese Tart in a toasted hazelnut tart shell with a mixture of heirloom and cherry tomatoes nestled into a whipped goat cheese filling.
Tomato tart recipe
Created in partnership with Genuine Skagit Valley Farmstand Fresh this tomato tart recipe is a beautiful way to showcase for seasonal tomatoes.
But the real reason I created this savory tart recipe is because it is truly so versatile and can be made year round with whichever fresh produce you can get your hands on.
The same base of toasted hazelnut tart shell and whipped goat cheese is equally stunning topped with piles of carrot ribbons, shaved zucchini, or lightly grilled rounds of sweet onions.
Hazelnuts add a nice toasty contrast to the fresh tomato that is also mimicked in the toasted hazelnut dressing. But you can substitute any other nut you have readily available. Or omit it all together and serve this tomato goat cheese tart in any other tart shell recipe instead.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes – a mixture of heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.
- Flour
- Hazelnuts
- Butter
- Egg
- Goat cheese
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream, or whole milk
- Hot sauce
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh basil – or other chopped herbs like parsley, chives, dill, or a mixture of all of them.
- Garlic
- Rice wine vinegar
Step by step instructions
- Make hazelnut tart shell from ground roasted hazelnuts, butter, egg yolk, herbs and water. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Roll out tart shell and place in tart pan then refrigerate to chill until firm, then bake in a preheated oven until toasted.
- Meanwhile make goat cheese filling by combining room temperature goat cheese and cream cheese with cream, hot sauce, honey, and spices. Then spread in a thin, even layer onto cooled tart shell.
- Loosely cover and refrigerate the goat cheese filled tart shell until ready to assemble, up to 2 days.
- Meanwhile, make a vinaigrette with any remaining toasted hazelnuts, chopped garlic, olive oil and vinegar and for up to 5 days.
- Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Allow to stand for several minutes to release some juices, then pour off juice and gently pat tomato slices dry. If using cherry tomatoes, do not worry about salting to drain.
- Arrange tomatoes in loose piles over the goat cheese filling. Sprinkle with coarse salt and fresh herbs.
- Before serving drizzle with a little toasted hazelnut vinaigrette.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
How to serve
The fresh tomato topped goat cheese tart really does not need anything else to make it a well rounded flavorful bite. But a little drizzle of homemade vinaigrette filled with toasted hazelnuts really brings out the vibrancy of the tomatoes. You could also serve this tomato tart drizzled with reduced balsamic.
It is delicious served as a starter or light lunch with a side salad. And also makes a perfect accompaniment to chicken or fish dishes.
If you’d rather not make one large tomato tart to serve in slices you can also make mini tomato tartlets instead.
How to store
This tart is best enjoyed immediately after topping with tomatoes. But the crust can be made up to 7 days in advance and and filled up to two days in advance. Store refrigerated until ready to use.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Hazelnut tart shell
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup butter cold
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
Filling
- ½ cup goat cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound tomatoes cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, etc.
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
Toasted hazelnut vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted hazelnuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make hazelnut tart shell. Start by grinding whole roasted hazelnuts in a food processor or blender until sandy in texture. Then combine the ground toasted hazelnuts with flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut cold butter using a box grater or chop into small cubes with a knife then smooth into the flour with your fingertips. Lightly stir in egg yolk and chopped herbs, then add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and form into a disc. Place dough in the refrigerator to chill at least 1 hour, up to 2 days (or freeze for up to 3 months, defrosting overnight refrigerated before using).1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup hazelnuts, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 large egg yolk, ½ cup butter, 3-4 tablespoons ice water, 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- Roll tart shell dough out to roughly an 11” circle on a lightly floured surface. Then loosely roll pastry around roll pin to gently transfer to a 9” tart pan with removable bottom. Let the excess dough hang over the edge and gently ease dough into corners. Then run rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough. Prick bottom of tart shell with a fork several times and refrigerate or freeze tart shell until firm.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and place tart shell on a baking sheet in preheated oven to bake until golden brown and toasted, 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile make goat cheese filling by combining goat cheese, room temperature cream cheese, with cream, hot sauce, honey, black and red pepper. Season to taste with salt and spread in a thin, even layer onto cooled tart shell. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble, up to 2 days.½ cup goat cheese, ¼ cup cream cheese, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Make the toasted hazelnut vinaigrette. Combine chopped garlic with vinegar in a small bowl and allow to infuse for several minutes before whisking in olive oil. Roughly chop toasted hazelnuts and stir into vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 7 days.2 tablespoon garlic, 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted hazelnuts, ¼ cup olive oil, Salt and pepper
- When ready to serve slice tomatoes into about ¼” slices and gently pat dry with paper towels. Arrange fresh tomatoes in loose piles over chile cream filling, sprinkle tomatoes with coarse salt and fresh herbs. Immediately before serving drizzle with a little toasted hazelnut vinaigrette. Slice, serve and enjoy!1 pound tomatoes, 2 tablespoons chopped basil
Nutrition
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