Feta, caramelized onions, and grape-leaf walnut pesto create a savory bed for fresh cherry tomatoes in this beautiful Cherry Tomato Tart.
Our garden is yielding a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes right now, so I decided it was time to tackle something I’ve been putting off – a real tomato tart. However, even after spending some significant time cruising Pinterest for inspiration, everything I could up with sounded Blahh. Or had already been done… twice. So I put the idea on the back burner – until last week when I was standing in my kitchen staring at a bowl full of freshly picked cherry-tomatoes, when it hit me like a pizza stone. Wouldn’t you know it, just like Dorothy and those darn shoes, the answer had been right there in front of me all the time.
My sister introduced me to Leonardo’s Pizzaria in Vancouver [WA] some years ago. Leonardo’s creates Amazing pizza. Whenever Gael and I are over that way together, it’s our first choice (and possibly our second and third too).
Our favorite pizza at Leonardo’s is the Little Oven Annie, a savory sweet fusion of caramelized onions, feta, spinach and a unique Grape Leaf Walnut Pesto – the perfect base for a tomato tart that will set your taste-buds dancing.
Cherry Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 large pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 1 batch Caramelized Onions Instructions below
- 3 tablespoons Grape Leaf Walnut Pesto Recipe follows; or you can just use regular pesto
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup packed fresh spinach chiffonade
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large onion halved and sliced thin, end-to-end
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
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In a large skillet over medium high, cooked sliced onions in butter, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, or until onions are soft and deep golden brown (The edges of some, but not all, of the onions should be very dark brown).
Assembling the Tart
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Preheat oven to 450°F. (Or 425° F for glass pie plates and some anodized aluminum baking pans.)
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Spread pesto over the bottom of the pastry. Layer on caramelized onions, and then feta. Cover the entire tart with cherry tomatoes.
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Bake for 20 minutes, checking crust edges after 15 minutes: if they are getting too brown, cover with a strip of aluminum foil or a pie shield.
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Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a chiffonade of fresh spinach.
Grape Leaf & Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 ounces coarsely chopped fresh grape leaves stems removed (About 2 cups packed)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 ounce fresh basil about 3/4 cup packed
Instructions
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Blanch grape leaves by placing them in a pan and covering with boiling water. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
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Heat the walnuts in a small frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they smell "toasty." (Do not let them burn.)
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Combine blanched grape leaves, basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and toasted walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. (If you use a blender, start with about half the grape leaves and add the others after the first half has been pureed.) Blend to a smooth paste.
The most time-consuming part of this dish is making the caramelized onions, so start them first. Otherwise, it’s a piece of cake… or tart.
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dear lord, it’s 7 a.m. & I am DROOLING for a tomato tart!!! This looks fantastic & I am promptly hauling it to the kitchen & making!
“Hit me like a pizza stone” indeed! (LOL great line btw)
I love all of this. This looks like the perfect summer dish. Plus I love making pie crust 🙂 Totally adding it to my list!
This is SO beautiful! I can’t keep staring at it. I’m going to pin this now, so I can stare at it more. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Makes me think of Olympiad Pizza I used to buy at Trader Joe’s. They don’t sell it anymore, but if I add some kalamata olives, I think this might be a handy dupe for it!
F likes to eat his tomatoes raw (often moments after we purchase it) so I’m not sure what he’s going to think if he sees me cooking them like this but I really want to try! BTW I love the new profile photo of you two together from Hawaii, very cute! I admit I have mixed feelings about the fingers on the apple on the banner though but maybe I’m just weird
There is something about this tart that is just grabbing me. I know maybe the stunning vibrant colors…the delicious ingredients or perhaps the flaky crust?? Love it all!! YUM!
I am a sucker for a good tart. Right now I have literally 1000’s of of *tiny* tomatoes from my Mexican Midget (yes, that is the real name) heirloom tomato plant. Guess where they are headed now?
Wow, gorgeous photos. The cherry tomatoes have been so fantastic this season that I have made tomato sauce and soup with them. Now I have another way to enjoy them- this tart with so many wonderful layers of flavors. I’m intrigued by the grape leaves- can you tell me more about them or where I might find them? What do they taste like?
This is so beautiful! I would have never thought to put grape leaves in pesto. Love it!
This is so beautiful! and I am very intrigued by the grape leaves. 🙂
What a perfect summer dinner! I’ve never made pesto with grape leaves, but it sounds wonderful
This looks and sounds amazing, Renee! I’ll bet I could find a few yummy ways to use that pesto–good thing the recipe makes leftovers 🙂
Thanks, Jill! I agree – leftovers are awesome!