Late bloomers

By Jan Cheshire

OUR tomatoes have been very late this year, but they’re now beginning to ripen nicely.  If you’re looking for something light for an evening meal or a lunch with friends, try this delicious tomato tart. It looks great too!

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TOMATO & ONION TART
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 kilogram red onions, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
250 grams of cherry tomatoes  (I used a mixture of cherry and regular tomatoes chopped into quarters)
1 cup of halved, pitted, black olives (optional)
1/2 cup of torn basil leaves 
1 log of soft goat’s cheese or other soft cheese (optional).  

Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. 
2. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until light golden.
3. Add sugar and season with salt and pepper. 
4. Cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Preheat oven to 200°C and line two baking trays with baking paper. 
6. Cut each puff pastry sheet in half. Layer 2 pastry halves together, pressing gently to secure them. Repeat with the remaining pastry halves. 
7. Place pastry rectangles onto the  prepared trays. With a knife, lightly score a 2cm border around pastry rectangles, but do not cut all the way through.
8. If using the goat’s cheese, spread about half a log on to the pastry rectangles
9. Divide caramelised onions between pastry rectangles. Spread to the border. 
10. Top with tomatoes, olives and basil. 
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes, swapping trays over in oven after 15 minutes if necessary, until pastry is crisp, puffed and golden.
12. Serve with a light green salad.