Ingredients

½ teaspoon of salt, plus extra for tomatoes

4 large Heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of roasted garlic powder (regular garlic powder can be substituted)

8 tablespoons of Challenge European Style Butter, chilled and cut into ¼ inch pieces

4 tablespoons of chilled vegetable shortening

3-4 tablespoons of ice cold water

1 eight ounce container of Challenge Whipped Cream Cheese

2 teaspoon of dried Italian Herbs

2 cloves of crushed garlic

½ cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

1/8 cup of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place tomatoes on a cooking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let tomatoes rest while creating crust. This will help pull out any excess moisture from tomatoes.

3. Place flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and garlic powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add butter, pulse 5 times. Add shortening and pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal. Gradually add water until dough forms a ball. Remove and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

4. Note: Crust can be made up to two days before and stored in refrigerator.

5. On a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, roll out dough to 14x10 inches. Place dough and parchment paper on a cooking sheet.

6. Remove the top from the cream cheese. Stir in Italian herbs, garlic and grated cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture over crust, leaving a 2 inch border around all edges.

7. Pat dry tomatoes with paper towel and remove any excess tomato juice.  Arrange tomatoes on top of cream cheese.

8. Carefully fold the edges of crust over the tomatoes to create a border. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil.

9. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

10. While tart is baking, place vinegar in a small pan. Bring to a boil then reduce temperature to low. Reduce vinegar until only a half of cup remains. Let cool until thickened and syrupy.

11. Before serving, drizzle tart with the balsamic reduction. Garnish with fresh black pepper and fresh basil.