Tomato Tart: What My Crème Fraîche, Juicy Summer Tomato Dreams Are Made Of

Juicy tomatoes pair with a mustard-laced crème fraîche spread over a flaky crust in this vibrant summer tart. 

This tart is essentially a galette that’s been baked in a tart pan. Same dough, elegantly shaped in a pan as opposed to free form.

It's the tart that celebrates every color of the tomato rainbow. Serve for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner with a simple green salad.

If you need an excuse to eat tomatoes, cream, and pastry for dinner - this is it.

Use any tomatoes. Cherry, heirloom, a mix of colors or a single one.  

Notes on Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche is a thick, tangy, rich cultured cream, closely related to sour cream. Best crème fraîche substitutes are full-fat sour cream (tangy, lower fat), Mexican crema (thinner, less tangy), or mascarpone (richer, sweeter), all used in a 1:1 ratio.

When Are Tomatoes in Season?

Tomatoes, a quintessential summer fruit, are in peak season in California July through September.

The arrival of summer brings a stunning bounty of heirloom tomato varieties in all sorts of colors and sizes. There are over 15,000 known varieties of tomatoes, ranging in flavor from mild to sweet to tangy and even smoky, with varying degrees of acidity. To find all sorts of variations, skip the grocery store and head to your local farmer's market.

Food tastes best grown in its own season.

Cooks Tips:

• No tart pan: No problem - bake it free-form as a galette and fold the edges over the filling.
• To Serve: Finish with flaky sea salt, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of good olive oil straight out of the oven.

The best of the season's fresh tomato bounty pairs with tangy, mustard-laced crème fraîche, buttery pastry, and fresh herbs - a match made in heaven.

For a rainbow ombre effect, source every color and arrange accordingly.

Print Recipe

Crème Fraîche Tomato Tart

Mustard-laced crème fraîche, juicy summer tomatoes, and a flaky butter crust — the tomato tart of your dreams.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Californian

Servings: 8

Author: Daniela Gerson

Ingredients

Tart Dough

• 1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• black pepper
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, cold and cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Tart Filling

• 1 cup of crème fraiche
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• pinch freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound of tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh herbs to garnish such as chives basil, thyme, parsley, chervil or tarragon
• Flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions

Tart Dough 

• To make the tart dough: combine the flour, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Give it a few quick pulses to blend the ingredients together. Drizzle in the water and pulse until a ball just begins to come together.
• Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes in freezer or 2 hours in fridge.

Tart Filling

• Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
• To make the crust: roll the dough* out on a lightly floured surface. Once it’s large enough to cover the bottom and go up the sides of the tart pan, roll it around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. Trim off any excess dough and transfer to freezer for 5-10 min, until ready to use. (If you don’t have a tart pan with a removable bottom, bake this like a free form galette and wrap the edges over the filling.
• To make the crème fraiche filling: combine the crème fraiche, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• To assemble the tart: spread the mustard crème fraiche mixture on the dough and arrange the tomatoes on top, slicing larger ones. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs, flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
• Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown, and tomatoes are starting to burst.
• Sprinkle with additional fresh herbs, flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve warm or room temperature.

Want More Tomato Recipes?

If you're looking for tomato recipes, check out mine below.

• Tomato Confit - low-and-slow roasted cherry tomatoes in olive oil until sweet, jammy, sweet and bursting with umami. 
• Tomato Watermelon Salad - sweet, juicy, crunchy, salty, briny, and tangy summer salad. 
• Gazpacho - a watermelon strawberry twist on the classic Spanish cold tomato soup. 
• Baked Feta with Tomatoes - A quick and easy baked feta appetizer bursting with bright, bold Mediterranean flavors.
• Tomato Puff Pastry Tart - Crispy, buttery puff pasty topped with a lemony, creamy ricotta and fresh, juicy tomatoes 
• Cherry Tomato & Burrata Pasta - roasted tomatoes with creamy burrata makes the ultimate summer comfort pasta.
• Tomato Galette - a savory galette filled with juicy heirloom tomatoes and creamy cheese.

If ya try this recipe, I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment below and let me know, and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too.

Keep exploring for more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides designed to inspire ya to play in the kitchen.

Let’s make waves in the kitchen.