Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme Pastry

Tomato tarts have a way of looking effortless and tasting like summer, which is exactly why they get made on the days when summer is being stingy with its tomatoes. A wan, watery tart is one of life’s small disappointments, all soggy pastry and pale fruit. The fix is not to wait for perfect tomatoes; it is to teach ordinary ones to behave. You roast them low and slow until they collapse into something dense and jammy and twice as sweet, and suddenly a midweek punnet from the corner shop tastes like the south of France.

1 A tart with a long history

The savoury tart is one of those dishes that belongs to no single country and to all of them. The French claim it through the tarte, the Italians through the crostata, the British through endless variations on the cheese-and-onion theme. What they share is the same comforting logic: a crisp base, a soft savoury filling, something to bind it, and the patience to bake it properly. Goat cheese and tomato is a pairing that turns up across the Mediterranean for the obvious reason that it simply works. The cool, lactic tang of the cheese is the perfect foil for the deep sweetness of cooked tomato, and a little mustard underneath sharpens the whole thing.

2 The clever twist: thyme baked into the pastry

The small idea that lifts this tart out of the ordinary is putting the herb in the crust rather than only on top. I work a generous tablespoon and a half of fresh thyme leaves straight into the shortcrust before chilling it. As the pastry bakes, the thyme toasts gently and perfumes the whole base, so every forkful carries that resinous, slightly lemony note even before you reach the filling. It costs nothing and takes thirty seconds, and it makes people pause and ask what the flavour is that they cannot quite place.

If you cannot get fresh thyme, dried works at half the quantity, though you lose a little of the brightness. Rosemary, very finely chopped, is a fine substitute, but go lighter; it is a louder herb.

3 Roasting the tomatoes properly

This is where the magic actually happens, so do not rush it. Halve the tomatoes, lay them cut side up, and give them oil, sliced garlic, a pinch of sugar to coax out the sweetness, salt, and a few sprigs of thyme. Then roast them at a low temperature for the best part of an hour. You want them shrunken and slightly caramelised at the edges, holding their shape but concentrated, with the garlic gone soft and mellow. The oil they leave behind is liquid gold; save it to drizzle over the finished tart.

Doing this drives off the water that would otherwise ruin your pastry, which is the entire point. A wet tomato is the enemy of a crisp base.

4 Assembly and baking

Blind bake the case until it is properly golden and dry. Spread a thin layer of mustardy creme fraiche over the bottom; it acts as both seal and flavour. Crumble most of the goat cheese over that, arrange the roasted tomatoes on top with their soft garlic tucked between, then dot the last of the cheese over and trickle on that reserved roasting oil. A final short bake sets everything and lets the cheese blister.

5 Serving and variations

Eat it warm rather than hot, scattered with torn basil, with nothing more than a sharply dressed green salad alongside. It is just as good at room temperature the next day, which makes it a quietly brilliant thing to take on a picnic.

For variations, a layer of caramelised onions under the cheese turns it richer and more autumnal. A handful of black olives or capers adds a salty edge. And if you want to make it feel like a proper meal, a few anchovies melted into the base will deepen everything without tasting fishy. A scatter of toasted pine nuts over the top before serving adds a welcome crunch, and a little balsamic reduction drizzled at the table sharpens the sweetness beautifully. However you treat it, the rule holds: roast the tomatoes until they mean it, and the rest takes care of itself.