Sun-Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola Tart

I love Thanksgiving—no presents, minimal décor, lots of family and tons of good food! Because I am a vegetarian, I always contribute a meatless entrée to the groaning board at maunt’s house, where the clan congregates, and I try to make it pretty flashy, so no one pities my turkey-free state. So there I was, driving down the road, thinking about what to make this year, and suddenly the wheels in my head spun around and up came the sun-dried tomatoes I had just seen in the fridge, the Gorgonzola I had just seen in the fridge, and the round of pie dough I had just frozen. Cha-ching! Sun-Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola Tart!

Sun-dried tomatoes are chockfull of sunshine. With such powerful savor and also such intense meatiness, they are best chopped small. So to make the tart custard, I ran the tomatoes and milk in the blender, resulting in some very pretty milk—a warm orange with dark red flecks. Then I added the eggs and salt and whizzed it all up. DeLallo Sun-Dried Tomatoes are marinated in herbs, so I didn’t add more, but if you wanted a louder herb flavor, you could toss in some oregano or marjoram, or even some hot pepper, at this point.

Next, I rolled out the crust. I like to roll tart crust on floured parchment paper to be sure the dough round is big enough for the pan, and so that I can make the dough very thin and still transport it to the tart pan without tearing it up.

I, generally, line the bottom of all my quiches and savory tarts with a layer of grated Cheddar cheese to keep the custard from making the dough soggy. Then on top of the Cheddar I poured the custard and arranged the Gorgonzola crumbles evenly around the pan. The tart poufed up like a souffle in the oven, but it settled down again while it was cooling, which made for thin, elegant slices.

Needless to say, tomatoes and Gorgonzola are divine together. Every bite of this tart is suffused with that amazing, intense sun-dried tomato flavor, and the stinky blueness of the Gorgonzola really stands up to it—this is no job for a wimpy cheese. Sun Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola Tart is good hot or cold, and, in addition to rounding out the Turkey Day table, it would make a nice brunch dish. It even carries well after it’s cooled, in case of potluck. And I’m also starting to think about holiday parties featuring Sun-Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola mini-tarts made with those cute little tart shells you see in the freezer section….

Click here for the  the full RECIPE.