Looking for a delicious and beautiful way to cook with summer tomatoes? Try this French-inspired Puff Pastry Tomato Tart. Made with a flaky, buttery crust, Dijon mustard, caramelized onions, savory herbs, and Gruyère cheese, this tomato tart is easy to assemble and makes a perfect appetizer or light main course. Whether you’re entertaining guests or simply looking for a tasty meal, this rustic tart is sure to become a new favorite in your recipe collection.
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Why You’ll Love This Puff Pastry Tomato Tart
- Versatility: This tart can fit into any meal from brunch and lunch to dinner. Serve it as an appetizer with a glass of wine for an al fresco gathering with friends, or pair it with a simple salad for a light summertime meal.
- Tomatoes! This puff pastry tart is a great way to showcase the best of tomato season, whether you’re using the harvest from your own garden, or you’ve visited a local farmer’s market.
- Easy Prep: By using convenient store-bought pastry, and prepping components (like the caramelized onions) ahead of time, you can have this tomato tart ready to assemble when you are.
- Impressive Presentation: Despite its simplicity, the baked tart makes a beautiful, rustic-chic presenation. The golden crust, layered with vibrant tomatoes and fresh herbs makes it a hit for hosting without a lot of fuss.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Puff Pastry. I use frozen store-bought pastry for this tart. For the best flavor, choose a butter dough, such as Dufour Pastry Kitchen’s All Butter Puff Pastry {affiliate link}, shown in the photos for this post. I buy Dufour at Whole Foods Market.
- Dijon Mustard. I use either Maille Dijon Originale {affiliate link} or Edmond Fallot’s Moutard de Bourgogne (pictured). To add texture, consider swapping half the quantity with grainy mustard, such as Maille Old Style Whole Grain Mustard {affiliate link}.
- Tomatoes. Use medium-sized tomatoes that are ripe but still firm. The tart pictured includes Cherokee Purple, Mr. Stripey, and Parks Whopper varieties from my garden.
- Caramelized Onions. For a sweet, aromatic undertone. Prepare them in advance using my How to Make The Best Caramelized Onions tutorial.
- Gruyère Cheese. This Swiss cheese has a unique nutty flavor and melts well. Layer shredded cheese both underneath and on top of the tomatoes before baking. (Read more about Gruyère in my Washed Rind Cheese Guide.)
- Herbs. I love to use a mix of fresh herbs from my garden for this tart–thyme, rosemary, French tarragon, basil, and parsley. You can also substitute dried Herbes de Provence {affiliate link}, using 1/3 the quantity of fresh herbs.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. An optional light drizzle over the tomatoes enhances the tart with its fruity, peppery notes.
- Salt and Coarse-Ground Black Pepper. Use kosher or sea salt to draw out tomato juices before assembling the tart. Season the baked tart with flaked sea salt like Maldon {affilliate link} and pepper, to taste.
- Egg Wash. Whisk a large egg with 1 teaspoon of cool water. Helps the puff pastry develop a beautiful golden color as it bakes.
Want to try making your own pastry? Check out How to Make Puff Pastry from Scratch from The Kitchn.
How to Make A Puff Pastry Tomato Tart
Step 1: Slice and Drain the Tomatoes
To create a delicious Puff Pastry Tomato Tart, start by slicing your tomatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Next, lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with salt. This step is crucial, as it will help to remove excess moisture from the tomatoes that could make the tart soggy.
Once you’ve added the salt, place a second layer of paper towels over the tomatoes and allow them to sit for at least 15 minutes (preferably, 30 minutes if you have the time). During this time, the salt will work its magic, drawing out the excess juices from the tomatoes.
When you’re ready to assemble the tart, simply remove the top layer of paper towels (they’ll be damp with tomato juices) and gently pat the tomato slices dry. This will ensure that your tart base can brown and crisp nicely.
Are you using the best knife to cut your tomatoes? I like using a serrated knife–the teeth on the blade easily cut through the tomato skins, without any smushing. For large tomatoes, I use my 10-inch Mercer Culinary Millennia Bread Knife. For smaller tomatoes, I use a serrated paring knife, such as the Victorinox 4-inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife. {affiliate links}
Step 2: Prepare the Pastry
Unfold your fully defrosted puff pastry onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (The Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch Pro Corrugated Cookie Sheet is pictured here. I find that I get excellent browning on the bottom of the pastry using this pan.) Lightly roll the pastry into a 10×14-inch rectangle, 1/8-inch thick.
If you’d like, you can trim the edges of the dough to create a uniform rectangle, but this is optional. This tart is just as beautiful with a more rustic appearance, so don’t hesitate to leave the edges untrimmed, as I have here.
To create the perfect edge crust for your puff pastry tart, use a sharp knife to score a border all the way around the pastry, approximately 3/4- to 1-inch from the edge. Be sure to make an indentation rather than cutting all the way through the dough. This will help to form a well-puffed edge crust for your tart.
Use the tines of a fork to poke holes all over the interior rectangle of the pastry. This process is known as “docking” the dough. These tiny holes will allow steam to escape and prevent the center of the tart from puffing up when baked.
Step 3: Assemble the Tart
Begin assembling the tart by spreading a layer of Dijon mustard onto the center of the pastry, making sure to stay inside the scored borders. Next, layer 1 cup of shredded Gruyère cheese over the mustard, followed by caramelized onions, half of the herbs, and the tomatoes.
When adding the tomatoes, make sure they span the entire center area of the dough in a single layer, with the slices slightly overlapping at their edges. For a 10×14-inch tart, I use approximately 16 slices.
For added flavor, lightly drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil (if desired), and season to taste with coarsley-ground black pepper. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of Gruyère cheese over the tomatoes.
Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, if using, and season to taste with pepper. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of Gruyère over the tomatoes.
At this point, I don’t recommend adding additional salt, as the tomatoes were salted earlier to remove excess moisture, and the Gruyere cheese is naturally salty. You can, however, add salt to the tart before serving if needed.
Step 4: Bake the Tart
To bake your tart, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F with the rack in the lower-middle position. By placing the sheet pan lower in the oven, you’ll help the bottom of the pastry to brown nicely.
Before baking, brush the border of the pastry with egg wash (you won’t need the entire quantity). Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are puffed with a rich, golden color, and the cheese is melted to perfection.
Serving the Tomato Tart
To serve your delicious Puff Pastry Tomato Tart, allow it to stand for 5 minutes at room temperature after baking. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped herbs and cut the tart into rectangles. I usually use a serrated knife, which glides through the flaky border easily, or a pizza wheel.
Most of the time, I’ll cut this tart into 12 pieces, slicing the short side of the tart into thirds, and the long side into fourths. There’s no right or wrong here–feel free to adjust the slice size to your liking. Ideally, each piece should contain at least a whole tomato slice.
For the best texture and flavor, serve the tart hot to warm, soon after baking. It makes a great summer appetizer, lunch, or light dinner, and pairs well with a salad when served as a main course.
While you can wrap and store leftovers in the fridge overnight, please note that the tart will not reheat to the same level of flaky deliciousness after it sits. To reheat, simply pop the slices onto a lined baking sheet and into a 400-degree F oven until warmed through.
Amanda’s Top Tips
- Choose tomatoes that are ripe, but not overripe for this tart. Save the softer tomatoes in the garden for making sauce or Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup.
- You’ll only need half of the quantity of caramelized onions yielded in my linked tutorial. I recommend making the whole batch and storing the leftovers for future use. Caramelized onions are a versatile ingredient to have on hand!
- I measured the 10×14-inch rolled dimensions using Dufour All Butter Puff Pastry, which comes in a 14-ounce sheet. If using another pastry brand (such as Pepperidge Farm), the sheets might not be as large out of the box. Be sure not to roll the pastry thinner than 1/8-inch so it can stand up to the weight of the toppings. Your tart’s rectangular dimensions may end up smaller than what’s shown here; if so, reduce the topping quantities as needed.
- For the flakiest layers, the pastry needs to be cold going into the oven. Have all of the topping ingredients prepped before rolling out the defrosted pastry, and work swiftly when assembling the tart.
If, after applying the egg wash, you feel that the pastry has warmed up significantly (it’ll feel very soft), pop the assembled tart into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to chill. Don’t venture too far out of this window, if the tomatoes sit too long, they’ll release extra juices onto the unbaked tart.
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Puff Pastry Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium ripe, firm tomatoes (preferably heirloom)
- 1 sheet Dufour puff pastry , fully defrosted (see note)*
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (smooth or a mix of grainy and smooth)
- 1-1/4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese , divided
- 1/2 cup caramelized onions (approximately 1/2 linked recipe)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (such as thyme, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, and basil)**
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon cool water
- extra virgin olive oil , optional (for drizzling)
- kosher and/or sea salt and coarsely-ground black pepper
Instructions
Prep the Tomatoes
- Slice tomatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place them on a paper towel-lined board or baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with a few pinches of salt and top with another layer of paper towels.
- Let stand 15 minutes (30, if you have the time), for the tomatoes to release their juices. Pat the tomatoes dry and proceed with preparing the tart.
Make the Tart
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with the rack in the lower middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unfold the defrosted puff pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly roll it to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle, measuring approximately 10×14 inches. (*See important note below.)
- Use a knife to score a border around the puff pastry rectangle, about 3/4- to 1-inch from the edge. Be careful not to cut all the way through the pastry. Use a fork to prick the center area of the pastry all over ("docking"). Do not dock the scored border area.
- Evenly spread the docked area of the pastry with Dijon mustard. Layer 1 cup of Gruyere, the caramelized onions, and half of the herbs over the mustard.
- Place the tomatoes on the top of the tart in a single layer, slightly overlapping the sides of the slices, if needed. If desired, very lightly drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil (about 1 teaspoon worth).
- Season the tart to taste with freshly-ground black pepper. Top the tart with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the border of the tart with the egg wash.***
- Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry border is puffed and deeply golden brown, and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the tart from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and season to taste with a pinch or two of sea salt (only if needed). Cut the tart into slices, and serve hot or warm.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.