My post yesterday was derailed with a photo issue that hasn’t been resolved yet, so I’ll talk about this tomato tart. It’s another of those handy things that you can vary depending on what you need. At the basic level, it is a cheese and tomato tart. If you want to make your own pie crust, I commend you. Otherwise:

1 9-inch pie crust, 2 cups shredded white cheese (I use a packaged Italian blend), 2 medium ripe tomatoes, fresh chopped basil (optional). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the unbaked crust in a pie tin or pie plate. Cover the bottom with cheese. Slice the tomatoes and put one layer on top of the cheese. Salt and pepper to taste, add a layer of cheese, one more layer of tomatoes and finish with layer of cheese. Cover the edges of the crust with foil to keep them from burning. Bake for ten minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the top is golden, but the crust isn’t burned. Sprinkle fresh basil over the top.

For variations, you can slice 1/2 a sweet onion and mince 1 clove garlic. Sautee those and add to the tomato layer. You can also layer in thin or diced ham for a heartier dish. And of course if you like spice, add some crushed red pepper according to your taste.

Gruyere, Swiss, or a blend of Mexican cheese also works, but I don’t recommend cheddar. I haven’t tried the soft cheeses, so I don’t know how they would be.