Tomato and Cheese Tart

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   Put the flour in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the cold butter in cubes and rub it in with your fingertips, until coarse crumbs form.

   💡The butter must stay cold: butter that melts in your hands gives a hard dough instead of a crumbly one. Work quickly, and if the dough warms up, put it back in the fridge.
3. 3
   Add the eggs and cold water and quickly bring together with your hands, without kneading, just until the dough comes together.

   💡Knead as little as possible: long kneading develops gluten, and the dough comes out tough and shrinks in the oven.
4. 4
   Whip the soft butter with the sugar, until pale and fluffy.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
5. 5
   Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.

To assemble

1. 6
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 7
   Roll out the dough into a round and place it in in a round pan.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinRound pan

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
3. 8
   Sprinkle the Bulgarian cheese over the dough.
4. 9
   Lay the cherry tomatoes on the cheese, cut side up.
5. 10
   Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.
6. 11
   Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
7. 12
   Bake 35–40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the tomatoes are caramelized.

   ⚙ BakingOvenRound pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.