Dealing with the deluge of delicious tomatoes in August is always a challenge. Recently I served this amazingly simple tomato tart that used up at least 5-8 large tomatoes and got rave reviews. The amount of tomato usage in a recipe is always paramount for me when I am looking at a counter top laden down with ripe ready-to-use tomatoes.

Recipe

2 medium onions caramelized in olive oil

1 package puff pastry, defrosted

1/4 c mayonnaise

5-7 ripe tomatoes, all colors

1 wedge of Cojita cheese crumbled to make 2 cups and some grated cheddar

1  small package of Feta cheese, crumbled

salt, pepper, dried thyme and oregano to taste

cut strips of fresh basil

Directions

Caramelize 2 onions in olive oil until brown. Slice 5-8 large tomatoes 3/8″ thick and let drain for about a half hour. Place both pieces of defrosted puff pastry in a jelly roll pan, press firmly. Spread 1/4 cup of mayonnaise on top of the puff pastry along with most of the caramelized onions. Sprinkle cheeses, cojita and cheddar, on top. Overlap tomato slices to cover the entire pan and press lightly into pan. Sprinkle feta cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Add reserved onions and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until golden brown. Let cool about 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with basil strips.

Here is a step by step version:

• Slice two medium onions thinly and slowly saute the slices in olive oil in a saucepan until caramelized. Stir the onions every few minutes to get an even brown color.

• Defrost a package of puff pastry which should contain 2 sheets. Lay out on a jelly roll pan(cookie sheet with short sides) and press to cover the bottom and side. If you want, you can spray a light mist of cooking spray on the pan first.

• Spread mayonnaise on top in a thin layer. I didn’t measure this, but it probably was about 1/4 of a cup.

• Spread the onion on top of the puff pastry, reserving some for the top.

• Sprinkle 2 cups of crumbled or grated cheese (I use cojita cheese which crumbles nicely) and cheddar on top the onions.

•  Now for the tomatoes. I used different colors of tomatoes and sizes for variety. Slice them about 3/8″ thick and leave them on the cutting board to drain slightly.

• Arrange your tomatoes in the pan, overlapping slightly and press them down lightly.

• Sprinkle some more cheese (I used crumbled feta), salt, pepper, and dried thyme and oregano. Add the reserved caramelized onions.

• Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees until the edges brown. Shredded basil placed on top was the finishing touch. Let cool before cutting. It is also delicious cold.