TOMATO BASIL CHEESE TART

I first made this tart at the beach where I was vacationing with a gorup of friends. They all loved it and asked for it again. It has a lot of cheese in it and should be made in summer, when the tomatoes are really vine-ripe.

Making your own crust is a labor of love but worth the effort, especially if you're flavoring the crust as here, with bacon. But if you don't want to go to that trouble, I recommend Pillsbury's pre-made pie crusts. They come two to a package and are all rolled out. All you have to do is lay them in the pie dish. Of course, you lose the extra flavor of the bacon.

TOMATO BASIL CHEESE TART

serves 6-8



For the shell

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 stick butter, cold, cut into pieces

2 T cold vegetable shortening (or lard, if you have it; but no one does)

1/4 lb sliced lean bacon, cooked, drained, cooled and crumbled

1/4 t salt

raw rice or pie weight for weighing down the shell when baking

For the filling

4 large, ripe but firm tomatoes, sliced 1/3 inch thick (save the ends)

1 1/2 t salt (plus additional for sprinkling)

1 C firmly packed basil leaves (you can buy these at the Sunday farmer's market)

1/2 C plus 2 T whole milk ricotta cheese

2 large eggs, beaten lightly (room temperature would be nice)

1/4 lb whole milk mozzarella, coarsely grated

1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese

vegetable oil for brushing the tomatoes

Make the shell

1. In a large bowl, using two forks or a pastry blender (or your hands, a cook's best tool) blend flour, butter, shortening, bacon and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. (You can also do this in a food processor, pulsing only enough to bring the mixture to this point.) Add 3-4 tablespoons of ice water of just enough to form dough and until water is incorporated. (If the dough holds together when you pinch it, it's ready.)

2. Remove the dough to a work surface and knead it slightly for a few seconds to distribute the fat and then form it into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly, dust with flour and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 1 hour.

3. When ready, roll dough out into a 1/8 inch thick round and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan, preferably with a removeable bottom. Prick the dough lightly with a fork and chill it for 30 minutes.

4. Line the shell with foil, fill with rice or pie weights and bake the shell in the lower third of a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove the rice or weights and the foil and bake 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the shell cool in the pan on a rack.

Make the filling

1. Sprinkle tomato slices on both sides lightly with salt and drain them on paper towels. In a food processor, puree basil leaves with ricotta and eggs and blend until combined. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, mozzarella, parmesan and grated black pepper and blend until just combined.

2. Pat the tomato slices dry, line the bottom of the shell with tomato end pieces, and spoon the cheese mixture over the tomatoes, smoothing it evenly over the shell. Arrange the remaining tomato slices on top of the cheese mixture in one layer, overlapping the slices slightly. Brush the tomatoes with oil.

3. Bake the tart in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until the cheese mixtrure is set. Transfer to a rack and let stand 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: if you use the ready-made pie crust, be sure to cook the crust first, according to the package directions, before adding the filling. Otherwise, the crust will be soggy.