I love this tart so much. It is absolutely beautiful, and combines some of my favorite flavors. Who doesn’t love flaky pastry crust, goat cheese and caramelized onions? The tart can be served as a side dish at any meal, or with a green salad, as I usually do, as a light meal.

I like to bake it in a long rectangular tart pan, and then create a pattern with the vegetables. The goat cheese creates a rich, tangy, creamy center, as well as a barrier from the onions and tomatoes make sure that the crust doesn’t get soggy.

This is another dish that can be served heated or room temperature. If you want to make the tart a day ahead of time, you can certainly warm it in the oven again before you serve it. I personally like it best heated through, as the goat cheese becomes really soft and melted, and the onions are not congealed. I would at least suggest bringing the tart up to room temperature, as the texture of the chilled goat cheese can be really thick against the other ingredients.

Savory tart crust

(1/2 batch)
-12oz goat cheese
-1 bunch of chives, minced
-1/2 cup purple caramelized onions
-2 medium vine ripened tomatoes, sliced into rounds
-8 whole kalamata olives

Purple caramelized onions

-1/2 Spanish red onion, thinly sliced
-1 Tbs butter
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1 tsp sugar
-1 tsp vinegar

1) Put a pan over medium heat, and melt the butter. Add the onion slices, and sprinkle them with the salt. Stir them and let them soften and sweat, without browning them, about 5 minutes.

2) Sprinkle them with sugar, and vinegar, and stir, cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove the onions from the heat, and put them in a glass bowl and refrigerate them. As they chill, they will turn purple.

Goat Cheese

3) Put the goat cheese in a small bowl, and microwave for about 20 seconds, or until really soft. Add the chives to the goat cheese, and mix them together well.

Savory tart crust

-2-1/4 cups of AP flour
-pinch of salt
-1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
-1/2 cup Crisco
-1/4 cup of ice water (or to feel)

4) Fit a food processor with a steel blade, and add the flour and the salt. Give a whir to combine well. Add the butter and the Crisco, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

5) Dribble the ice water into the mixer while it is being pulsed. Add the water until it just comes together as a coarse dough.

6) Transfer the dough into plastic wrap or wax paper, split in half and mold each half into a disc. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. If you just make one tart, you can freeze the remaining half of the dough until a later date.

7) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8) Take one dough disc out, and roll out the dough in between two sheets of wax paper, and place the dough in a greased 9″ round, fluted tart pan. You can also use a 13″x4″ rectangular tart pan.

9) Poke the bottom with a fork several times, and put the tart dough in the oven to bake. It should bake about 25 minutes, or until the dough is light, golden brown. Let cool on a rack

10) When the tart shell is cool, gently spread the goat cheese into the shell. Add the tomatoes, clumps of purple onions and olives (I like to make a pattern).

11) If not serving immediately, wrap the tart in plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to overnight. To serve the tart, place the tart back in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the cheese and vegetables are warmed through.

12) Slice into wedges, and serve.