Parmesan-Tomato Tart

Pastry:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5-6 slices provolone cheese
4 cups of cherry tomatoes, mixed colors and sizes, if possible large tomatoes cut in half and smaller ones left whole
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Note: I didn't have a tart pan, so I used a pie pan and pinched out my own crust. Just be sure to fork a few holes in the crust before the first bake!
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Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10 inch loose-bottomed tart pan. Set aside.

Place the flour, salt, butter, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the egg and ice water and pulse until dough starts to come together...just a few seconds. You can add more water...just a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form it into a round and roll it out to be about 13 inches. Carefully lift the dough and place it in the tart pan, gently pressing to fit. Roll the rolling pin over the pan to neaten the edges and trim the dough. Place the piece of parchment paper into the tart pan and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Put the tart in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the tart shell for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the parchment paper and bake shell for another 10 minutes until the edges are starting to brown and the base has dried out.

While shell is baking, toss the cherry tomatoes with the sugar, salt and pepper, and olive oil.

When the tart shell is ready, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly to cover the base. Place the provolone cheese slices in a single layer over the Parmesan. Use a slotted spoon to fill the tart with the cherry tomatoes and return to the oven for about 15-20 minutes. The tart is ready when the crust is golden brown, the cheeses are bubbling and the tomatoes are just barely starting to split their skins. The tomatoes will not brown. Let the tart cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serves 6-8

note: I served this with a drizzle of basil oil. (didn't have it ready and was about to lose the light for the photos) Just throw about 1/3 cup of olive oil into the blender with a good handful of fresh basil leaves, a healthy pinch of salt and a sprinkle of black pepper and whiz it all together for a few seconds. Season to taste and spoon a scant teaspoon or so over each serving of the tomato tart.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CRAUDI.