Tomato Tart

This tart will hold in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat in a 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to re-crisp the crust.

Ingredients:
2 sheets puff pastry (17.3-ounce package), thawed according to package directions
2 1/2 pounds firm-ripe summer tomatoes

heaping cup fromage blanc [Note: Bellwether Farms fromage blanc is available in markets that carry a large selection of cheeses, such as Real Foods, Berkeley Bowl and Andronico's. It comes in a 7.5-ounce package that is perfect for this recipe. If you can't find fromage blanc, use a mix of 2/3 cup ricotta and 1/3 cup sour cream.]

salt to taste

1 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup pitted oil-cured kalamata or other flavorful black olives
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T thinly sliced or chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller ones) with parchment paper.

Roll out each puff pastry sheet to a 12 x 14-inch rectangle.

Place on the baking sheet and fold over the edges of each pastry to form a 1/2-inch border. Prick the bottom of each pastry with a fork and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in half width-wise and gently squeeze out the seeds and juice.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds.

Using a rubber spatula, spread half of the fromage blanc over one of the cooled crusts.

Cover the fromage blanc with half of the tomatoes, slices overlapping, then season with salt.

Top the tomatoes with half of the onion slices, dot with half of the olives and sprinkle with half of the thyme and some pepper.

Bake the tart for 18 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very soft but before the onion gets too brown.

While the first tart is baking, assemble the other tart with the remaining ingredients.

(It's better not to bake the tarts at the same time unless you have a convection oven, in which case you should reduce the temperature by 25 degrees.)

Right before serving, drizzle the tarts with the olive oil and sprinkle with basil.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 8