Oh boy. Oooooooooooooh boy. This Tomato, Bacon and Gruyere Tart looks stunning and tastes even better. We would venture to say that it is even better than pizza and half the work. This is one of those “golden” recipes because of it’s show-stopping factor and it’s versatility; it can be served as a light dinner with a salad, a lunch, or an appetizer. The puff pastry makes it easy as pie and is a light, flaky, magnificent vessel with which to convey the delicious combination of sweet, baked tomatoes, luxurious gruyere, woodsy thyme, and smoky bacon into your face. Something truly fabulous happens when roasted tomatoes and thyme leaves are united – you’ll see what we’re talking about.
Tip (unsponsored): We suggest laying a piece of parchment paper out on your counter, lightly flour that, and roll out the dough directly on the floured parchment. Transfer the whole thing to a cookie sheet. We buy a 4 oz. chunk of gruyere from Trader Joe’s (their brand) as it is a good price.
We suggest cooking your bacon yourself (as opposed to using pre-cooked bacon).
One of the most important tips we can give is to not over-crowd your tomatoes. We did that here (above) and our tart did not turn out nearly as well as they have in the past. So, if your tomatoes are spaced like the above photo (or any of the other “action” photos below), your tart will be too moist (soggy) and the balance between all of the ingredients will be absent. Instead, space your tomatoes like this:
Don’t forget, this is too many tomatoes and they are spaced much too closely together:
Have your children help you sprinkle the gruyere, crumbled bacon and thyme leaves on the pastry sheet. Make sure they inhale the thyme leaves deeply and create a memory of cooking with you! As you prepare and enjoy this meal with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits of some of the ingredients:
- Tomatoes, eaten fresh, have tons of vitamin C, which helps your skin look good.
- Gruyere provides your body with amino acids, which help you build muscle.
- Thyme has antibacterial qualities and may help with acne.
Since gruyere originated in Switzerland, here are a few facts about Switzerland and it’s people:
- Switzerland is covered in beautiful, picturesque mountains and lakes.
- Many businesses in Switzerland close for a couple hours so their employees can have a nice lunch.
- Unlike in the U.S., teachers are one of the best paying jobs in Switzerland.
Adapted slightly from: Tomato, Bacon and Gruyere Tart
- 1 thawed puff pastry sheet
- 1.5 cups grated gruyere cheese (no replacements!)
- 4 slices cooked crumbled bacon
- 5 or 6 thinly sliced small ripe roma tomatoes (it's okay if you don't use them all!)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp kosher salt & a few grinds of pepper
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tsp water
- Roll out the puff pastry into a 10 X 14 inch rectangle on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. Transfer it to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the gruyere, leaving a two inch border on the long side.
- Top with the cooked bacon, tomatoes, thyme leaves, salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Fold in the long side.
- Cut vents in the pastry (see photo).
- Fold in a half-inch of the short ends and pinch to seal.
- Brush the pastry with the beaten egg mixed with water.
- Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, start checking at 20 minutes.
