When I make this recipe, I feel like I am putting all of the best flavors of summer into one tart. Roasted garlic and tangy goat cheese complement sweet oven-roasted tomatoes. Add fragrant basil and it’s heavenly! I like to make this with a homemade pastry that’s light and airy and full of layers, yet strong enough to hold a tart filling. The really simple technique here makes a puffy, layered pastry that’s so delicious and soft. This is a perfect dish to bring to a picnic.

Roasted Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients: 

Pastry:

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• ¼ cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup ice water

Filling:

• 1 whole head garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 10 pitted kalamata olives, cut in half lengthwise

Directions:

1. To make the pastry: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes and toss the cubes in with the dry ingredients. Put the bowl in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.
2. Put the chilled flour and butter into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse and the butter pieces are pea-sized. Add the yogurt and pulse until incorporated. Add the ice water and pulse until all of the dough sticks together.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly for about 1 minute, until it holds together. Form the dough into a rough log shape and roll out into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Fold into thirds the way you would fold a letter to fit in an envelope. Flip the dough over and roll out again into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Fold in thirds again. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the top quarter off of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the cut head of garlic and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cloves come out easily when squeezed.
5. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place face up on the parchment. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with the sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt, and roast for 15 minutes at 400°F. Set aside to cool.
6. Once the garlic has roasted, lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Roll the pastry out to ¼ inch thick and press it into a 10-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges so they are flush with the pan. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork 5 to 7 times. Line the tart shell with foil, making sure the edges of the tart pan are completely covered with foil. Fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and bake the pastry for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust edges are light golden.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 400°F. Begin to fill the tart shell right away. Squeeze the entire head of garlic into the pastry shell and use a butter knife to spread the garlic in an even layer over the base of the tart. Add chopped basil in an even layer, then the goat cheese. Use a metal spatula to carefully arrange tomatoes over the top of the goat cheese, filling the whole face of the tart with a single, tight layer of tomatoes. Place halved olives between the tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.
8. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool. Serve at room temperature.