This simple tomato tart is made with only 4 ingredients: tomatoes, puff pastry, roasted garlic and fresh thyme.
“It’s not good enough.”
“You’re not good enough.”
“You’re going to fail.”
When I go through spells of depression, the negative self talk I experience is crippling. I become full of self doubt and am emotionally paralyzed to the point where it becomes impossible to get any real work done. I question all of my decisions and quickly become overwhelmed and foggy as I try to navigate through the creative process.
It feels as though I just lost six weeks of my life. They vanished (actually, they dragged on) and I have nothing to show for my days except for lackluster photos and half assed recipes that I can barely remember whether I liked or not. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge loss but I have a major deadline that’s quickly approaching. I’m not sure whether I’m dreading September’s arrival or desperate for it to finally come and go. I guess it’s a bit of both.
The good news is that I feel like I’m finally reaching the other side of a long, dark and cloudy tunnel. I’m starting to feel like myself again. I’m still testing the waters and getting my toes wet. And I have a lot of catching up to do.
For this recipe, I kept things very simple. It’s hard to go wrong with puff pastry, roasted garlic, and the first tomatoes of the season. I chose not to reinvent the wheel and stuck with a winning formula. It’s tasty.
Roasted Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound tomatoes (approximately 4-5 medium, similar sized)
- 1 sheet puff pastry, chilled (leave in the refrigerator until needed)
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped finely
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off just the top of the garlic head so that a small amount of each clove shows through. Place the garlic in a small ramekin and drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, just enough to cover the exposed cloves. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cover the ramekin with foil. Place the ramekin in the oven and roast the garlic for 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into a bowl and mash with the back of a spoon to make a paste.
- Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/4 inch slices, reserving the ends for another use. Lay the slices out on a cutting board close together in 3 rows to stage how the tart will look (I had 3 rows of 8).
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to approximately 10x14 inches. Place the puff pastry on the prepared sheet tray.
- Spread a thin layer of roasted garlic over the dough (there might not be enough to cover all of the dough, which is ok). Sprinkle the thyme evenly over the garlic (again, it will not cover the entire tart. The flavors will still infuse). Layer the tomato slices on top. If there is a lot of excess dough around the edges, use a pizza cutter, bench scraper or knife to cut it away, leaving only an inch of excess dough.
- Bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes, or until the edges are flaky and golden brown.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Own it. Depression sucks and it is so hard to stay positive in this world of constant feed and instagram perfection. I feel like the more I see the harder it is even if I am happy for everyone and their success. At least you are honest with yourself about your bitchiness and recognize it. All of this is temporary – step back and remember your big picture. You rock :D
It’s really brave of you to talk about this. I deal with lots of self doubt, anxiety, and sadness. I want my life to change so badly and I’m doing everything I can to change it, but it won’t change. My blog is a failure and I can’t find an agent for my writing. It’s brutal but I know I’m talented and I know you certainly are as well so we both just have to keep working and hoping and things will get better.
It’s really brave of you to talk about this. I deal with lots of self doubt, anxiety, and sadness. I want my life to change so badly and I’m doing everything I can to change it, but it won’t change. My blog is a failure and I can’t find an agent for my writing. It’s brutal but I know I’m talented and I know you certainly are as well so we both just have to keep working and hoping and things will get better.
I’m not really in a good headspace to be giving much advice right now but I do think that if you rebranded it would help your blog. Feel free to email me some time. I can’t offer much, but I have a few thoughts.
I’m not really in a good headspace to be giving much advice right now but I do think that if you rebranded it would help your blog. Feel free to email me some time. I can’t offer much, but I have a few thoughts.
I’m not really in a good headspace to be giving much advice right now but I do think that if you rebranded it would help your blog. Feel free to email me some time. I can’t offer much, but I have a few thoughts.
I’m not really in a good headspace to be giving much advice right now but I do think that if you rebranded it would help your blog. Feel free to email me some time. I can’t offer much, but I have a few thoughts.
Roasted tomatoes are the best, I love this tart! Hoping this week is going better, and I so admire your willingness to be vulnerable. I know it’s not easy – hugs!
Roasted tomatoes are the best, I love this tart! Hoping this week is going better, and I so admire your willingness to be vulnerable. I know it’s not easy – hugs!
Roasted tomatoes are the best, I love this tart! Hoping this week is going better, and I so admire your willingness to be vulnerable. I know it’s not easy – hugs!
Lovely tart! And I don’t think any of your recipes or photos could ever be lackluster or half assed! Glad you’re feeling better. I vote for all bloggers to take the summer off and recharge :)
Lovely tart! And I don’t think any of your recipes or photos could ever be lackluster or half assed! Glad you’re feeling better. I vote for all bloggers to take the summer off and recharge :)
Lovely tart! And I don’t think any of your recipes or photos could ever be lackluster or half assed! Glad you’re feeling better. I vote for all bloggers to take the summer off and recharge :)
Lovely tart! And I don’t think any of your recipes or photos could ever be lackluster or half assed! Glad you’re feeling better. I vote for all bloggers to take the summer off and recharge :)
Hello. This is a very brave post. I think lots of people reading this will be able to relate at least to a degree (including myself).
I genuinely love the tomato tart and don’t think it’s sub-standard in the slightest. Quite the contrary. And every time I pop in here I drool at your beautiful photos.
All the best with meeting your Sept deadline. You can do it! :-)
Cooking is a powerful remedy for cease bad thoughts.
Your website is fantastic, and you should be proud of your own work.
Hugs from Brasil!