Tomato season is in full swing and I am loving all of the home grown tomatoes coming from our garden, our friends, and farmers markets. They burst with flavor – every single bite – and out shine their mealy store-bought friends by a mile. I never complain about having too many home-grown tomatoes and enjoy finding different recipes to try. When I spotted Better Homes & Gardens special publication 100 Best Tomato Recipes at the check out, I grabbed it and immediately wanted to make every one!! The hard copy ($9.99) is gorgeous, printed on heavy paper stock, and packed with beautiful photos of every type of tomato imaginable. There are no ads – just recipe after recipe. It is a keeper!
I chose this recipe because it uses purchased piecrust, making the whole experience so much easier and faster. I added chives to the cheese mixture to add another layer of flavor and pop of color. This recipes is easy to adapt and add other flavors – bacon, Hatch green Chile, caramelized onions – the list is endless. Next time I bake it, I will add sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, to amp up the tomato flavor. The tomatoes were there, but their sweet flavor was lost in the. yummy cheese mixture.
One more comment – I used a 10-inch camp Dutch oven because the bottom of the oven is the same size as a 9-inch pie plate. It baked beautifully directly in the camp Dutch oven and was easy to remove with parchment strips and a parchment circle to fit in the bottom of the oven. (This YouTube shows you how to cut a circle to fit any size camp Dutch oven.) I encourage you to give this technique a try and trust you will be amazed by the results. The WOW factor of pulling a perfect pie/tart out of your camp Dutch oven is amazing!
If, however, I can’t convince you to bake it directly in the camp Dutch oven, you can bake it in a traditional pie pan, inside a 12-inch oven, on a trivet. You may need to bake the pie longer so keep a close eye on the time and be patient if extra time is needed to achieve a golden brown piecrust and a beautiful brown and yellow cooked tart.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 hungry friends | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 50 minutes (12 for the piecrust and 40 for the tart) |
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Easy to put together and bake, this tart is a show-stopper! It will disappear in a a slick minute and those who are fortunate to grab a slice will groan with culinary pleasure with each bite.
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- 1 rolled, refrigerated, purchased piecrust I used Pillsbury - it was easy to use and was SO flaky!
- 2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
- 4-5 tomatoes (Roma's are recommended by BHG)
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
- 4-6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup mayonaise
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, divided
- 2 tablespoons freeze dried chopped chives
- fresh basil for decoration
- Follow the directions on the box to bring the piecrust to room temperature. Fire up a chimney of charcoal. Prepare a 10-inch camp Dutch oven by cutting three 2-inch strips of parchment paper that are long enough to lay in the oven and over lap the edge by about 2 inches - approximately 20 inches. Fold each in half lengthwise. Lay the three strips in the center of the oven and spread them out in a star pattern so that each end drapes over the side of the oven. Use clothes pins to hold each strip in place. See photo for reference.
- Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the oven and place on top of the star of parchment strips.
- Gently unroll the piecrust. Take a deep breath and place the piecrust in the prepared 10-inch camp Dutch oven, taking care to center the piecrust so that the edges are equally distributed up the sides of the oven. Use a table fork to poke holes across the bottom and sides of the piecrust to prevent bubbles.
- Bake the piecrust at 450 degrees Fahrenheit by placing 10 hot charcoals in a circle to fit beneath the 10-inch camp Dutch oven and 20 on top. Bake for 10 minutes then quickly check the piecrust. When the crust is golden brown, remove from charcoal. Place on a lid stand to cool.
- While piecrust is baking and cooling, rough chop the basil and garlic. Slice the tomatoes into wedges and place on a paper towel to let extra liquid drain. Mix together mayonnaise, one cup grated mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, and chives.
- Sprinkle remaining cup of shredded mozzarella on the bottom of the baked piecrust.
- Spread the rough chopped basil and garlic on top of the shredded mozzarella.
- Place quartered tomatoes to cover the basil and garlic. Spoon mayo/mozzaralla/chive spread over tomatoes.
- Smooth the mayo/mozzaralla/chive spread over the tomatoes. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit by making a circle of 10 hot charcoals underneath the oven and 20 hot coals on the lid. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
- Start checking at 30 minutes. Remove when the cheese has melted and begins to turn brown.
- Remove tart by asking a friend to help pull parchment strips. Sprinkle with remaining grated parmesan. Serve with fresh basil.
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