Food, Main courses, Recipes

Heirloom tomato galette

May 28, 2015


As soon as I saw these beautiful heirloom tomatoes in my local grocers I knew they were destined for this rustic tart, or a galette if you will. Nestled on top of some jammy red onions and covered with mozzarella and basil it’s definitely going to be my go to summer recipe.

I mean, seriously, how beautiful are these tomatoes? They really dont need anything fancy do they? By roasting them in this delicious galette it also brings out their sweet flavours.

This week is my favourite kind of week at work, a short one. I’ll only be in the office three days this week as I extended the long Bank holiday weekend to spend it down in England. First we stopped in Cheshire and enjoyed a beautiful day out in the cutest little villager ever, Tarporley.

Then we spent a day in London, wandering around Kensington and Notting Hill. While I couldn’t see myself living in London, I definitely wish I lived closer. I absolutely love visiting London and we had a great time just wandering around the little streets and mews, and eating lots of delicious treats. I’ll share some pictures from both Tarporley and London soon.

I already spotted lots of little places to add to my list for my next visit to London in September. However, if anyone has any recommendations I would love hear.

Anyway back to the tart. This tart is so delicious and so much easier to make than a regular tart in a pastry tin.


You do get quite a bit of moisture from the tomatoes but I worked out a few tricks. Firstly, lay any large tomatoes on kitchen roll to soak up a bit of the moisture then for the small ones, have them facing up so they catch all the juices. To help keep the base a little crispy the secret is definitely to preheat your sheet pan or use a pizza stone.


Heirloom tomato galette
Serves 4
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  1. 225 grams plain flour
  2. 100 grams cold unsalted butter
  3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  4. 2-3 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. 2 red onions
  2. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  3. 2 tablespoons butter
  4. 1 tablespoon water
  5. 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  6. 5 large basil leaves
  7. 2-3 large heirloom tomatoes
  8. 200 grams cherry tomatoes, red and yellow
  9. 1-2 tablespoons milk or egg wash
  10. 1 ball mozzarella
  11. Some small basic leaves to decorate
  12. Salt
  13. Pepper
  1. Begin by making the pastry. In a large bowl and the flour and cold butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can also make in a food processor. Once the butter is well incorporated, add the salt and the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you can form it into a bowl of dough.
  2. The dough should be uniform in texture and should hold together. Shape into a large flattened ball, wrap with cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat an oven (fan) to 200 degrees Celsius. Place a large sheet pan in the oven to heat up, or use a pizza stone if you have one.
  4. To make the red onion jam, thinly slice the red onion (try get the slices as even as possible so they all cook at the same time) and add to a small pan with the balsamic vinegar, butter, water and a pinch of salt. Keep on a low heat and cook gently for about 20 minutes or until the onions have softened and the liquid has evaporated.
  5. Next prepare the basil oil so the flavours have time to infuse. In a small dish at the extra virgin olive oil and finely chopped basil leaves. Stir and set aside.
  6. Prepare the tomatoes by slicing the large tomatoes horizontally. Place them on a bit of kitchen paper so that some of the moisture is drawn out. Slice all the cherry tomatoes in half.
  7. Remove the dough from the fridge and place of a floured work surface. Roll out to a large disc, about 3-4mm thick and move to a sheet of grease proof paper before you start to assemble the tart.
  8. Place the onion jam in the middle and spread out, remember to leave a big border to folder over. Add the tomatoes, making sure to keep the cherry tomatoes face up then fold over the edges. Trim any edges that are too big. Brush the pastry with a little milk or egg wash and season the whole tart with some salt and pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil.
  9. Remove the hot tray and carefully move the tart onto the tray. Cook in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. To serve, tear up some bits of mozzarella, drizzle over the basil oil and scatter the basil leaves.
a girl & her home

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  • Lucy Parissi

    That looks like my kind of galette – so colourful and I bet amazingly tasty too. I need to look out for some of these tomatoes they look beautiful! Thanks for linking with #CookBlogShare

    • Laura @ a girl & her home

      Thanks Lucy! They are so beautiful, which is great as you don’t have to do much to make them into an impressive meal!

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