ArcaMax

I’m calling this My Independence Day. I’m not talking about our country and the 4th of July. I’m focused on myself. Today’s the day I have completed getting both of my vaccine injections and fulfilled my waiting period to get my immunity under full force. I feel like I graduated or something. It’s not changing my behavior a ton, but it does come with a sense of safety and satisfaction. I’m not one of those people who teared up when they got their second shot...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Juicy Tomatoe Pesto Tart

I used big, ruby red and ripe tomatoes to make this. I cut the slices fairly thick too. That contributes to the juiciness. This is a perfect light dinner or lunch. I also added oven-cooked bacon as a protein side dish. A bit of extra bacon was also kept to be diced into bacon bits for the leftovers. Those we sprinkled on top. All magic!

Servings: Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Dough for a 9” tart pan or pie pan (be sure to take it out to soften up about 30 minutes ahead of baking so it unrolls easily)
2 large ripe tomatoes or 4 small ones
1/4 cup of pesto
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp of dried Italian seasoning
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of heavy cream
1/4 tsp of grated sea salt or to taste
1/4 tsp of grated pepper or to taste

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Take your unrolled dough and put it in your tart pan. Let some of the dough spread up the sides of the dish. Prick the dough with a fork in a few places and bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. (I don’t usually bother with pie weights anymore. If the dough has a few puffy parts when it comes out of the oven just slit them with a knife.) When you remove the crust from the oven, let it cool while you make the filling.

While the crust is baking, slice your tomatoes and place them on paper towels to drain.

If you purchased a pre-made pesto you’ll want to drain off the oil from the top. Spread the crust with the pesto and store the remainder for another use. Spread the cheese over the pesto. Sprinkle on the Italian herb mix.

In a bowl or a small blender prepare the custard. I use my Bullet Blender. Put in the eggs and cream along with the salt and pepper. Blend just a few seconds to whip it up so it’s mixed and light.

Place the tomato slices in whatever fashion looks good to you over the cheese mix. Then drizzle the custard over the top. I try to make sure some of the tomato slices are still above the custard so the nice redness of the tomatoes shows. If necessary, swirl the dish a bit to make sure you get the custard evenly distributed.

Bake until the filling doesn’t wiggle. Thirty-five minutes should do it. Then let it cool for a few minutes so it firms up before you slice it. This will also keep you from burning your mouth. Hot tomato is Hot tomato!

You are ready to serve. This can also be served at room temp on a buffet. Leftovers reheat well and safely travel to work in a container.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola