Heirloom Tomato and Gorgonzola Tart

Most Saturday mornings in summer, you'll find me at our local farmer's market.  Yes, Manhattan has farmer's markets and quite a few, in fact.  The big, amazing, awesome, I wish I lived across the street one is at Union Square.  Four times a week, farmers, growers, bread bakers and cheese makers drive down from the Hudson River Valley to set up their stalls.  While I used to have the pleasure of working only two blocks away, it's quite a treck from my upper east side apartment.  Fortunately, there's a smaller version of the market just a few blocks from home.

Because my local market is smaller, I have to make sure to get there early but Hadley doesn't mind accompanying me for a morning walk.  The selection also varies greatly based on what the farmers had ready to bring.  But the mystery and discovery is part of the fun of a farmer's market  My "find" last Saturday was a selection of beautiful heirloom tomatoes.

I knew immediately that I'd combine these sweet lovelies with some sharp Gorgonzola cheese and bake them into a simple tart.  Alongside a fresh salad, it was an ideal summer evening dinner.  Enjoy!


Ingredients

Crust:
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup ice water

Filling:
3 Tomatoes, sliced thin
1 Cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 Cup ricotta cheese
1 - 2 Tablespoons milk, if needed
Salt & pepper to taste

To make the crust, add the flour, salt, baking powder and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Do not over-mix.  With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube until a dough ball forms.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.  After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a well-floured surface into about a 10" circle. Drape over a 9" tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom) and move your rolling pin across the fluted top to cut off the excess dough.

To make the filling, combine the Gorgonzola and ricotta cheeses in a bowl and mix together, by hand or with a mixer, until mostly smooth.  Add the milk if needed and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the cheese mixture evenly into the tart shell and top with the tomatoes.  Sprinkle a little salt over the top and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.  Makes approximately 8 servings.