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There are some people on this earth who age gracefully.

They might have firm skin, a gorgeous thick head of salt and pepper hair that really does look stunning in its own right, wise-beyond-their-years eyes that maintain a bit of a captivating twinkle.

And you know just from looking at them that they are the kind of old folk who are generous with their wisdom.  Who accept help from their children graciously.  Who not only recognize but embrace their limitations and allow themselves to be taken care of for once.

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And then there are people like my parents.  Who, I can already tell, shall be aging belligerently.

My siblings and I have so much to look forward to.

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You see, they’ve taken to conspiring with each other to hide from us anything that ever goes wrong with them medically.  So they “won’t worry us”.

If someone could explain to me why you would keep your daughter who has MEDICAL TRAINING out of the loop when, sure, she might not know exactly what is going on but she’ll at least know the right questions to ask, that would be excellent.  Because it’s beyond me.

And as a result, my brother and I have to rely on our little sister, who still lives at home, to be our eyes and ears.  Which means we get texts from her saying that our father’s “door” is swollen and that he didn’t go to work or get out of bed all day.  So then we have to stare at our phone’s keyboard for about twenty minutes trying to figure out what letters she could have possibly mistyped to result in the word “door” only to finally elicit from her that door=foot in teenager typo language and DUH we totally should have known that.  Yup, she’s really a fount of insider information.

I can’t wait for the day when I have to take away their car keys.  That’s going to be fun and not world war three-like at all.

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Call it planning ahead, but I fully intend on breaking the chain in this belligerent aging cycle and being the picture of old age grace.

And I’m going to start by eating tarts. Lots and lots of tarts.  Because is there anything more picturesque than the image of an old(er) lady sitting down to lunch with a cup of tea and a nice healthy delicious piece of tomato tart to go with it?  I think not.

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In truth, this tart is actually part-quiche, although with the rich flavor of the roasted tomatoes in it and the light cornmeal crust, it doesn’t feel quite as heavy as one.  And it’s perfect for keeping summer tomato season alive while we still can!

(PS – See below the recipe for a review of Whole Foods’s new dosateria and lassi bar!!)

Tomato Tart
Serves 4, adapted from Cooking Light August 2012 and Elly Says Opa! 

Ingredients
For the crust: 

  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4-1/3 cup milk

For the tart: 

  • 2.5 oz fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/3 cup sliced shallots
  • 3 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp thyme
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup reduced fat milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 3 large eggs

Instructions
For the crust: 

  1. To make the crust, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, butter, oil, and salt and pepper.  Add a little water/milk/broth until you get a dough that will stick together a bit when pinched (sort of like a graham cracker crust).  Press the mixture into the bottom of a 10″ tart pan and set aside.

For the tart: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Sprinkle crust with fontina, olives and shallots.  Arrange half of the tomato slices over the shallots.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and thyme.  Top with the remaining tomato slices.  Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper.
  3. Combine the milk, parmigiano-reggiano, and eggs in a small bowl.  Pour into the tart pan.
  4. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until set.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

PicMonkey Collage

Last Wednesday, I was invited to test out the new dosateria and lassi bar that just opened in the Whole Foods in Tribeca.  Given that my roommate has been bemoaning the lack of good dosas in this city for almost as long as I’ve known her, I knew that there was no way I could turn this opportunity down.  So off to Whole Foods The.Boy. and I went on a dosa-tasting expedition!

For those who don’t know, dosas are basically large fermented crepes made out of rice and lentil batter that are stuffed with all sorts of delicious fillings, and are typically served as street food in South India.  The Dosateria at Whole Foods offers an array of filling options, ranging from traditional turmeric tomatoes served with a green chili coconut chutney to more fusion-esque pulled butter chicken and brie with mango chutney.  There are also some breakfast-specific options for the early morning crowd.  In addition, you can order your dosas a la carte, choosing from either a dosa, uttapam (open-faced dosa…more like a tostada with a pancake bottom), flatbread or rice bowl base, an array of fillings, and any of their many chutney toppings.

The.Boy. and I were given an array of items to try, each of which was absurdly delicious.  He got the butter chicken with brie dosa that I mentioned before and positively fell in love with it, which says a lot considering that he is typically not a fan of Indian food.  I got the asparagus uttapam, pictured at the top right, which was full of flavor and the biryani bowl with a vegetable medley, which I couldn’t stop eating even though I was positively stuffed.  Jessica, the PR agent for Whole Foods NYC who set this whole thing up, also kept us company and ate with us.  She got the Bollywood Chicken dosa, which is kind of a tex-mex version of a dosa stuffed with chili chicken koftas, roasted onions, queso fresco, avocado, and a wasabi avocado chutney.  From the speed with which she devoured it…I can infer that it was pretty damn good.

We were also lucky enough to get to try two of the lassi flavors – mango and avocado green chili.  The mango tasted as good as I hoped it would but it was the avocado green chili that really blew me away.  Listed on the savory portion of the lassi menu, it was definitely still sweet but with a bit of a savory kick from the chiles.  A really nice twist for the taste buds.

In all, I was super pleased with my whole Dosateria experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in and around the Tribeca Whole Foods!  And for those of you who are in other states, Jessica let it slip that although this is the first Dosateria to be opening up, there are plans to open up more in other Whole Foods, so start badgering your local Whole Foods manager about it!

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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88 Responses to Tomato Tart

  1. OohLookBel says:

    Lovely tart, it would be perfect washed down with lashings of avocado lassi!

  2. mcddanielle says:

    Wow! The sexy life of a food blogger! You do really great things with this blog. I just got free coffee from Bad Ass coffee. I had no clue I was going to be that lucky.

  3. Johanna GGG says:

    Mixing cornmeal and tomato is just perfect in a tart – as for parents – damned if you hear everything and damned if you don’t but taking away the car keys would be fun

  4. That cornmeal crust looks awesome! This is a perfect end-of-summer dish!

  5. OY, the typo’s! My parents were like yours but now I find myself doing the same to my parents, not my kids. Fabulous tart!

  6. My parents… well, my mom… are quite honest about about their medical issues (and there are many). It’s a good thing, though, because it makes me more open and aware of my own body…. so I think it’s good for parents to do that.

    Loving this tomato tart! Seriously scrumptious!

  7. Beth says:

    Aging belligerently. I love it. Hope your father’s door, uh, foot, is okay.

  8. I also am not privy to family member’s medical info.. too personal, perhaps? Anyhow, I bet Rob would love the dosaterie!! 🙂

  9. Roz says:

    I hear your frustration re: aging parents! Just wait until they move in with you, as my parents (85 and 92 years young) do for the next 3 months of every year! You go to your job and they call you every day for something! Honestly! What did I get ourselves into? Now for this tart . . . another stunner! So many tomato pie/tart recipes to choose from this year among foodie bloggers! Great minds think alike! The dosateria bar will probably come to South Carolina Whole Foods LAST given the demographics of this state.

  10. Olive says:

    Parents.. they just don’t know that we love them as much as they love us. 🙂

    Lovely tomato tart, btw. I’ll add it to my must-try list. 🙂

  11. Ohhhh thank you for this! I have 3 heirloom tomatoes that need to be used up and I was looking for the perfect tart recipe to do so — this is it!!

  12. I’ve always wondered what I would look like in 30 years…I’m sticking to eating all the veggies I can find in the meantime! Gotta look cute for at least another 10 years!! haha

  13. Kalyn Denny says:

    I can tell you from personal experience that taking away the car keys is painful in so many ways.

    On a happier note, this sounds amazing. Yum.

  14. Mo 'Betta says:

    This post was entertaining, educational and visually stimulating. A+ my dear 😉 As for parents…mine were like that until my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia. They were too stunned to even try to keep that quiet, and we wouldn’t have gotten through it without each other. Thank God for cancer research! So, AFTER you cure cancer…you should look into a cooking show/cookbook deal/something to showcase your culinary talents 🙂

  15. bellini says:

    It won’t be long before I have grown old gracefully, hopefully with no trace of stubbornness, but, I don’t have to wait till then to feast on this flavourful tart..

  16. I’m now even more sad that I couldn’t go to that WF event with you!

    This tart looks incredible and I am pretty sure it will make you age beautifully:-)

  17. brocstar says:

    Why does your food always look so damn delicious?

    My friends parents are like that… crazy stubborn and independent. They’re both going through AD and refuse to acknowledge that they have no memory and won’t let their kids help them b/c they think they’re fine. Very frustrating (and sad) for her!

    My parents will be calling for help the minute they get any ache or pain in old age. 😉

  18. Cathleen says:

    HAha, I thought “door” was some code word for something. I wouldn’t have thought it was misspelled :p
    This looks fantastic as usual, yum!

  19. What? Door means foot? Is that like Fat means totally cool? I’m so doomed when my kids are in high school. I have a feeling I’ll be referring to an urban dictionary a lot.

  20. Big Dude says:

    My parents did the same with our first notice from them being “My surgery went well.” Your tart looks outstanding.

  21. ariel says:

    I just have to say, I absolutely love your blog and ALL of your recipes! Thank you for being awesome!

  22. Lynn says:

    I’m going to see if I can rustle up some good tomatoes and make this. Our “home grown” tomatoes growing season is long gone now. 🙂 Looks so good.

    I went through that with my father – he’d didn’t want us to think anything was wrong with him until he was found on the kitchen floor one morning by my mother. He couldn’t get up and she didn’t hear him calling. Heartbreaking really – and yes, the keys had to go.

  23. ohh tomato tarts
    i’m just not ready to give up on summer
    i’m still eating heirloom tomatoes
    my family (mothers side) have all lived past 100–is that something to look forward too?
    i’ll let you know… ;-+

  24. Danielle says:

    This sounds amazing — I have a ton of tomatoes ripening in the garden this would be a perfect way to use them.

  25. Shannon says:

    sounds like i need to come down for a visit!! YUM. in the mean time, perhaps i can revel in some more tomatoes 🙂

  26. Faith says:

    That is definitely a picturesqe scene you paint with an older(er) lady, a cup of tea, and a tart. And yes, I want that to me be too! 🙂

  27. Marcia says:

    that looks delicious. Man. I don’t make anything with a crust. I”m not sure why.

  28. Door = foot?? Haha I am definitely getting old too (and also trying to do it gracefully). So more tarts for me as well!

  29. Monet says:

    Joanne. You just know how to make me smile again and again. I loved your comments on parents/aging. My dad just turned 70 and I dread the day that we actually have to step in and take over. He’s a very wonderful but stubborn man. This tart looks delicious. Thank you for your words and your recipes!

  30. Lora says:

    Deelish. I especially love the crust.

  31. I will happily sit down to a lunch of this tart if it helps me to age gracefully! The cornmeal crust sounds fantastic with the tomatoes.

  32. Hannah says:

    Oh god, I know I have a whole lot of ungraceful aging to look forward to. This tart, on the other hand, is a thing of pure beauty! I’m dreading the day when tomatoes are no longer in season. It’s not far from now, but I’ve been trying to pack in as many as I can while they’re still good. I even have some unbaked pastry in the fridge right now…

  33. Karen says:

    I like the sound of the cornmeal crust. Going to give this a try!

  34. Suzi says:

    This tart is a beauty. I will have to ask my daughter if she thinks I am aging gracefully. I think that I am but you ain’t getting my car keys, yet, LOL.

  35. Mary says:

    Joanne, your photos of that gorgeous tart are terrific and you gave a marvelous review of the dosas bar. As to the rest – Perhaps your parents will become better listeners as they age :-). Have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  36. This looks way better than quiche. I love the pretty tomatoes on top!

  37. That tart is just beautiful! And you have now made me me miss living in NYC even more (if that’s possible!)

  38. Jenna says:

    The moment I go back on cow dairy products, about 3 weeks after Alice is born, I want a piece of that tart in my mouth. Stat.

  39. Eileen says:

    I think all of us look forward to having that kind of delightful future conversation with our aging parents. OH MAN. In other news, a DOSATERIA? Sign me up, right now!

  40. Parents! Thankfully mine doesn’t keep me in the dark b/c he relies on me to keep him from doing stupid things like stopping his blood pressure meds. Which he does every week, and every week I have to talk sense back into him (He had a stroke from high blood pressure. Apparently he loves tempting fate.) I swear children can not be worse than my parents! haha! I love your tomato tart–sounds really good!

  41. I want to come back to NYC and go to that WF in Tribeca – it sounds amazing!!!

  42. I’m in loveLOVE with tomatoes right now. The heirlooms have me swooning. This sounds just delightful. Man, I feel for ya, parents and all. My dad’s aging and ailing and I never know what’s going on until it’s too late. Ready to lock him up , I am! 🙂

  43. I love when you write about your parents 🙂

    Maybe entice them with this gorgeous tart and they’ll start talking??

    Sues

  44. Jenn Kendall says:

    i totally want to be the old lady eating this tomato tart

  45. MKShaw says:

    Your blog is my new favorite thing. I lost track of how many recipes I’ve pinned!
    And your “About Me” section is brilliant!

    I can completely relate to the struggles of aging parents…we just managed to get my grandmother in an assisted living facility (long overdue!), and it was such a struggle. So hard sometimes to convince people that you have their best interest in mind. My mom works in geriatrics, so she deals with this on a daily basis. Best of luck to you and your family.

    Many thanks for your beautiful blog!
    MK

  46. Debbie says:

    Aging gracefully..ugh! I’m 55 Joanne and aging just sucks! I’m already saying “what did you say” too many times that I am worried I’m losing my hearing! Tomato tarts are one of my favorites. This one is a little different from the rest and I like it. I will give it a try the next time I go to the farmers market here and get some tomatoes….Thank you!

  47. Christine says:

    Your parents sound just like what mine were like. Their favorite saying regarding any problems, medical or otherwise caused by aging was “it comes with the territory”. That phrase made me crazy. My heart is with you on this…parents. That tart looks sooo good!

  48. Sippity Sup says:

    If tarts are part of aging belligerently count me in, he said (belligerently). I missed commenting here. But blogger seems to have blocked my ID across all it’s blogs. It’s been going on for weeks. I have figured out though I can comment here using my name/url but not my blogger ID. So no cute icon for me… Weird huh? GREG

  49. Candace says:

    Your tart is gorgeous. I would love to have a slice of that for my lunch tomorrow. Once again, I wonder….Why oh why do I not live in the city? I simply must visit find one of those Bollywood Chicken dosas STAT.

  50. I looove lassis, but I don’t think I’d be brave enough to try an avocado chili version! However, I also love tarts, and I’d be all over this beautiful version!

  51. Guru Uru says:

    Sitting on a bed of greens, this tart looks even more beautiful and delicious 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  52. elly says:

    Gorgeous tart. Sigh, I will really miss tomatoes and so will my kid, who ate practically an entire heirloom tomato at dinner tonight. Hah.

  53. cakewhiz says:

    most tarts i make are sweet and filled with chocolate…hehe. this would be a welcoming change plus i really like tomatoes 😉

  54. That Girl says:

    Something tells me this “belligerence” is not from any sort of aging. I’d be willing to guess this has been how your parents have functioned for years.

  55. Reeni says:

    I want to be that old lady sipping tea and eating tomato tarts too! This is gorgeous! I never had dosa before and I am completely jealous that you even have a Whole Foods nearby. The nearest one for me is over an hour away. Worth the trip.

  56. Pam says:

    I want to age gracefully (but having two young children will AGE you! Seriously!). I better start eating tomato tarts ASAP!

  57. this looks gorgeous, joanne. i bet it tastes even better!

  58. Blond Duck says:

    Will you come to Texas and make this for my b-day next week?

  59. Aging gracefully – wouldn’t that be a treat! And dude, I totally need to eat more tarts, starting with this one! 🙂

  60. Tandy says:

    Joanne, my mother went in to hospital ten days before I got married and they only told me a week after she was admitted!

  61. sophia says:

    Aw, your parents sound like they’re independent, at least. I think my parents will be the same way. They don’t usually complain about their health problems.

  62. Hotly Spiced says:

    Well, I guess it’s nice that they don’t want to worry you and it must be so hard feeling or sensing your independence sliding away. I guess we’ll never know how it feels until we walk in their shoes. Like you say, I hope to age gracefully xx

  63. Nelly says:

    So basically the most awesome thing would be to be Helen Mirren’s progeny, sitting down with her to big plates of this tart to talk openly with each other about medical and family history, but also about the obvious fact that you’re going to remain healthy, happy and desired by everyone and their mother into your 80s. A red hat or two would probably not be out of order either.

    Gonna try this with an almond-flour crust.

  64. Catherine says:

    Dear Joanne, What a beautiful breakfast, lunch or dinner. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

  65. Pam says:

    I’m all for eating tarts so that I age gracefully. I don’t want my door to be swollen.

  66. daphne says:

    hahaha- foot/door. but at least you found out in the end! And what a gorgeous tart for any time of the day I reckon!

  67. This tart sounds great…and so does that Dosateria! I totally need to get my butt over there.

  68. teresa says:

    ugh, i am NOT looking forward to that part of my life. maybe if we force delicious and healthy foods like this down their throats they will stay healthy forever? ah, wishful thinking.

    never even heard of a dosa, perhaps i need to take a trip to nyc, or at least to the nearest whole foods 🙂

  69. Mary says:

    This is one of the prettiest tarts I have ever seen. I can totally picture ladies at tea daintily sharing a slice. Although, I’d be needing a slice all to myself. Hope that your dad’s door feels better soon too!

  70. Esi says:

    I love a good tomato tart. I will be very sad when the season is over.

  71. Your crust looks incredibly easy, flaky, and delicious! I’ve never had a dosa but it looks great (reminds me of roti canai a bit). Great looking tart!

  72. I shouldn’t be reading this when I’m starving…

  73. Katerina says:

    I don’t think anyone ages gracefully! Unless he/she has deposited a lot amount of money to a plastic surgeon. Now as far as parents are concerned I think they are the same everywhere. Mine would have done the same stupid thing as yours. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s the fact that they think we are still children and cannot cope with it or indeed they don’t want to make us feel sad. It’s stupid but it has a logic behind it. The tart is delicious and I am sure it made you feel better about the whole situation!

  74. That cornmeal crust sounds divine! (as does this entire dish!)

  75. Erica says:

    Wow! That tart looks perfect! Love all the ingredients and your pictures are making me hungry!

  76. Camila Faria says:

    Joanne, you make the yummiest tarts! Love this one.

  77. You are an absolutely delight to read, Joanne. This is coming from a woman who is probably as old, if not older, that your parents. I’ll try to keep my car keys a little longer, thank you very much 🙂 FYI, great looking tart!

  78. Carolyn Jung says:

    LOL I think all parents do that to keep their kids from worrying. I remember noticing a small rash on my Mom’s hand once. As I’m telling her to go to the dermatologist, she’s mumbling, “Oh, I’ve had a good life….” I’m like, “Mom! You have a rash! You’re not dying.” Good grief. 😉

  79. Wow your tart looks SO delicious! It’s so vibrant and beautiful, it’s jumping right now from the screen at me. 😀

  80. Your story about your parents is amusing. Lovely tart – perfect for us because we have been getting so many free tomatoes from family with gardens.

  81. grace says:

    that is a downright lovely tart, joanne! the crust looks outstanding, and it’s amazing what a few sprinkles of freshly cracked black pepper can do for both pictures and flavor! 🙂

  82. Kevin says:

    What a great way to enjoy some of all of those tomatoes that are around these days! This tart is just packed with flavour!

  83. london bakes says:

    Ack yes, I try not to think about my parents getting old. I’m a total head in the sand person. As for me getting old, that’s just never going to happen right?

  84. Patrice says:

    I just made this tomato tart tonight for “meatless Saturday” and it was a huge hit! This tart has a great medley of flavors. The thyme makes it!

    Many Thanks,

    Patrice

  85. Lori says:

    Well, at least you still have a spy at home to help out, I guess. 🙂 Love this tart, and I still have loads of tomatoes coming out of the garden. This will make a great place for them. The new offerings and WF sound good too!

  86. kellypea says:

    Tomatoes any day, any time. And for what it’s worth, I tell my boys about all my aches and pains :). My mother in law does her best to not tell us anything worry inducing so we had to shake our fingers at her : /. Hang in there. It gets so much better! (not)

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