A savory tart filled with tomatoes, caramelized onions, garlic, and cheese. The pastry crust is flaky and soft, flavored with pieces of basil woven throughout. This dish is perfect for taking to a brunch or for Easter or Mother’s Day.

Woot! Spring is here and it’s hard to believe the year is already going so fast! I’m a lover of the Fall/Winter, but I can’t help but get excited for what spring and Summer will bring us this year. It’s crazy to think that this time last year I was pregnant and eagerly looking forward to meeting my little one. Actually, we didn’t even know if we were having a boy or girl at this point and were looking forward to the reveal! Now I’m looking forward to enjoying her first egg hunt and her quickly approaching birthday.

Cooking with a baby isn’t an easy feat. If you think it is, I’d love to know your secret. I usually end up preparing a dish in stages. Set out the ingredients-help Little Miss find her blocks–slice ingredients and store appropriately–nap time–sauté–story time–finishing steps and so one.

Some dishes take a lot of these stages and some I can do in one sitting. I used to become frustrated when I couldn’t cook a meal all at once like I used to, but I got over it. I see why a lot of parents opt for fast food or prepackaged meals due to the ease of time, prep/cleanup/ and thought. I was not about to give up my love of cooking and the taste and benefit of a home cooked meal so I made it work. It takes a bit of planning and patience, but it’s doable. Here’s some suggestions:

Be realistic. You’re not going to be making a five course meal with a baby unless you have some help–or you have the abilities of a god.
If you’re following a recipe, read through the entire thing first. Read it a second time.
Figure out good stopping points. You know your baby best and how long you might have before having to stop what you’re doing.
Prep everything before you start cooking. Get your spices measured out, your vegs/fruits cut, your tools on the counter, and so forth. This is also an easy stage to stop at anytime without ruining the dish and also to gage the temperament of the day/hour. Is baby content playing in the playpen? Great. You might get your ingredients out and the veggies cut!
Be patient. It’s not the end of the world if you have to stop more than you had planned. I’ve started some dishes and had to push it to being finished the next day. Give yourself some slack and remember your child is more important than a perfect meal.

This dish took me two days. I made the dough the day before and prepared the filling and baked the tart the next day.

Eventually, I’d like to make this tart with cassava flour. I’ve not had the chance to try it out yet, but I hear it’s 1:1 with flour by weight. So I’ll have to order some and see how much I like it. Does anyone have any experiences with cassava?

Savory Tomato and Caramelized Onion Tart

Yield: 10

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Crust

13 oz Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Fresh minced basil
12 TBSP chilled, unsalted butter, sliced into pieces
1/2 cup chilled lard, cut into 4 pieces (can use shortening)
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup Chilled water

Filling

1-2 TBSP Ghee
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Julienne red onion
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced.
1 TBSP Minced rosemary
1 TBSP Chiffonade basil
1 TBSP Minced thyme
1 large Heirloom Tomato, sliced
1 cup Asiago cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Crust

Combine salt, basil, and flour in a large bowl or food processor.
Add the lard (or shortening) and butter and combine. Should appear crumby when combined.
Slowly add the vodka and water, folding the mixture together.
The dough should be sticky when done.
Wrap and store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove dough and dust a clean working space with flour. Place plastic wrap onto the top of dough and being rolling into a circle of about 1/8” thick.
Butter and flour your tart pan.
Place dough into the pan and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Work on filling while dough is chilling.

Filling

Sauté onions and garlic over medium heat and caramelize.
Add spices and mushrooms, allow to sauté for a couple minutes more.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove prepared tart shell from the refrigerator.
Arrange filling mix in the shell.
Top with tomatoes and cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. The crust should be crisp and slightly golden.
Allow to cool and serve.