Three Tarts, 4th of July Style

We usually hear about sweet tarts (strawberry! blueberry! peach!) but savory ones are just as decadent, easier, and can be an entire meal.

These three tarts use the same crust, which I made a few days ago and refrigerated until now. I don't have three tart pans but I do have springform pans, so I used those. Use what you have!

For the blueberry tart, I initially made this buttermilk curd but after 30 minutes in the fridge, it wasn't setting at all. I went to plan B, bought vanilla pudding (talk about a blast from the past), and used that instead. Naturally, once I spread the pudding in the crust the buttermilk curd had set. So, go for it with the buttermilk curd if you're curious (it's tangier than the pudding!), and just keep in mind it'll take longer than the 15 minutes the recipe says for it to set (more like 45 minutes-1 hour).

The tomato and potato tarts are a real breeze. Savory tarts are simpler (in my opinion) because you're not dealing with all the liquid from the fruit. Those juices can ruin a pie dough and turn it into mush, and usually vegetables aren't as wet. (Tomatoes are the exception! For the tomato one, make sure your tomatoes are cut side up. This keeps the liquid in their skin, away from the dough.)

Dough from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Dough

Makes enough for three 9" pies
3 3/4 cups/450 grams all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Tomato Tart

3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup feta (preferably in brine, drained)
1 small shallot, thinly sliced

Potato Tart

1 medium yellow onion, sliced in 1/4" half moons
1 cup ricotta
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, divided
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, sliced in 1/4" rounds
1 tablespoon shredded Gruyere

Blueberry Tart

1 package instant vanilla yogurt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preparation

Make the dough: Pulse flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Pulse in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with pieces of butter still visible, about 20 pulses.

Combine vinegar and 3/4 cup ice water in a measuring cup. Pulsing, drizzle in vinegar mixture; pulse until dough just holds together when squeezed (it should still be crumbly), about 10 pulses.

Turn out dough and divide in three. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and use plastic to press into disks. Wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Once firm, roll out each disc into 10" round. Transfer dough to tart pan and trim excess dough flush with rim. Line with parchment paper and pie weights (dried beans, rice, ceramic weights) and bake, 25 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights and continue baking 15 minutes. Remove two tarts from oven when light golden brown. Dough will be slightly underbaked, but will go back in oven once filling is added. Leave one pie in oven for 15 more minutes until completely cooked. This will be for your blueberry tart, which doesn't get baked again.

Prepare tomato filling: Preheat oven to 400. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and put in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a few healthy pinches of salt, pepper, and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Toss to coat, and set aside. (Salting the tomatoes will draw out moisture/flavor, which helps keep them sweet when baked). Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree feta, 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, and pepper until smooth. Spread feta mixture over tart shell. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, atop feta. Stick the shallots in gaps between the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Prepare potato filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-low. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until very soft and browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread 3/4 of ricotta mixture over tart shell. Arrange onion over ricotta, and then potato in a single layer. Top with 1-tablespoon drops of ricotta mixture, then gruyere, thyme leaves, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bake the savory tarts: Bake tarts until tomatoes look semi-dehydrated and ricotta is browning, 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and unmold. Serve!

Prepare blueberry tart: Unmold fully cooked tart shell from pan. Set on serving platter. Make pudding per instructions on box, adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to mixture (whisk with milk 2 minutes, then chill for 5!). Spread 2/3 of pudding mixture in tart shell (you'll have extra, so eat the rest!). Sprinkle blueberries atop pudding, leaving no gaps. Garnish with lemon zest. Serve!