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Tomato Tart with Gruyère

Name: Tomato Tart with Gruyère
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1¼ cups flour; 1½ tablespoons semolina flour (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon); ½ teaspoon salt; 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes; 1½ tablespoons cold shortening (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon); 2+ tablespoons ice cold water; 6-12 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, and allowed to drain on paper towels; 1 cup grated Gruyère; 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (I've used dried thyme, too); 2 eggs; ¼ cup half and half; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon salt; Freshly ground black pepper to taste

posted by Liz Berg on July 19, 2011 (updated 8/16/23)

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If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh garden Roma tomatoes, this Tomato Tart with Gruyère is a recipe you don’t want to miss!

When you have tons of fresh tomatoes and have overdosed on BLT’s and Caprese Salads, a Tomato Tart Recipe is a delicious solution.

Why You Must Make

I first baked this tart recipe when I was making dinner for some friends going through a kitchen remodel. I wanted to add something else to the menu. What is more summery than a recipe using fresh tomatoes? This Tomato Tart with Gruyère exceeded my expectations. With its crispy crust and wonderfully flavorful tomato filling, it would be wonderful any time of the day!

If you have fresh garden tomatoes, this tomato tart will be pure bliss. But I bet it’s pretty darned tasty even with decent off-season tomatoes. Meaty Romas are perfect, but any tomato will do.
This combination of tomatoes, herbes de Provence (or thyme), and Gruyère is a tried and true winner.
You’ll be sneaking slices of leftover tart out of the fridge; it’s just that irresistible. That is IF you have leftovers! I’m not sure this sort of tart is actually served in France, but if it’s not, it should be!

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – All-purpose Flour, Salt, Eggs, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Ice Water
Semolina Flour – Often used to make pasta, this durham wheat flour is coarser than all-purpose flour.
Butter – Cold will make a flakier crust
Shortening – Cold will keep the dough cooler
Gruyère Cheese – Grated. A nutty cow’s milk Swiss cheese. May substitute another Swiss cheese.
Herbes de Provence – A blend of herbs usually containing lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, and summer savory. I’ve used thyme instead.
Plum Tomatoes – Or any good quality tomatoes, fresh garden tomatoes are ideal. Slice and drain on paper towels to remove excess juices. This will prevent the juice from diluting the tart filling.
Half and Half – Makes for a rich custard filling.
Dijon Mustard – Adds flavor to the custard.

Recipe Tips

Made with fresh garden tomatoes, this tomato tart will be pure bliss. But I bet it’s pretty darned tasty even with decent off-season tomatoes. Meaty Romas are perfect, but any tomato will do.
PRO-Tip: Make sure to let your slices drain on a couple of layers of paper towels before adding them to the tart so there’s no excess juice to water down your filling.
Placing the grated cheese right over the crust provides a barrier between the crust and the custard. This minimizes a soggy crust.
The recipe that inspired this dish uses 12 sliced plum tomatoes and overlaps the slices to cover the whole surface of the tart. I used fewer tomatoes, did not overlap my slices, and supplemented with a few yellow grape tomatoes to fill the spaces. Feel free to use more or less, depending on your mood!
Making your crust in a food processor is super easy. Note that for the flakiest crust, it’s best to chill your dough before rolling it out. You can also rechill it after putting it in the tart pan, then baking.
Pricking the bottom of the crust with a fork and using pie weights keeps the bottom crust flat against the bottom of the pan.