When we made this tart the first time, there was too much cheese—it was out of balance.  We reduced the amount of cheese and switched a mild cheese and made a very nice tart.

Ingredients

Tart Shell

1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

1 cup grated Gouda cheese
1 teaspoon snipped fresh basil leaf
4 medium-sized tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt and pepper to taste
4 strips bacon

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cook bacon until just slightly crisp; drain. When cool, snip the bacon into half-inch pieces with kitchen shears, and set aside.
  3. Combine the corn meal, flour, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.  Blend ingredients with a fork.
  4. Add diced butter and olive oil. Mix with a pastry knife until the corn meal mixture resembles coarse meal.
  5. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork or pastry knife, until the dough is moist and holds together.
  6. Gently press the dough into a four-inch circle, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  7. While the dough chills, slice the tomatoes, grate the cheese, and snip the basil. Set them aside in separate bowls.
  8. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a large piece of wax paper. Cover the dough with a second piece of paper, and with a rolling pin roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Remove the top sheet of wax paper. With your hand carefully placed underneath the bottom paper, turn the dough into a 10-inch round fluted oven-safe dish. Our porcelain quiche and tart baking dish  works  perfectly. Remove the remaining sheet of wax paper.
  9. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 17 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until it begins to brown.
  10. While the crust is still warm, evenly distribute the cheese over the crust. Sprinkle the cheese with the basil. Overlap the tomatoes on top of the cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter the bacon pieces over the tomatoes. Allow the tart to cool for five minutes before cutting.
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