Frugal French Friday: Tomato-Onion Tart with Gruyere Cheese

Tomatoes from the super market are a poor substitute for tomatoes from the farm market. But I have some and I must use them up. This post, from 2012 has inspired me: 

Today's recipe for Onion-Tomato Tarte with Gruyere was easy to make after work, taking only about 40 minutes prep time and about an hour in the oven; mine took only 45 minutes.

The tomatoes came from a variety of local sources, including my own back yard, and the onions were from Immerfrost Farm. The herbs came from my own garden. The cheese was in my cheese compartment and was part of my ongoing Clean Out the Fridge Month effort.

I cheated and used store-bought puff pastry.

I used two types of tomatoes, one large robust-looking burgundy heirloom tomato, and about a dozen cherry tomatoes. I used plain black olives, leftovers from another meal. I also tossed in about two tablespoons of chopped thyme, and added a dash of herbes de Provence before popping it in the oven.

To keep the bottom crust from getting soggy, I let the tomato slices dry for about 30 minutes on paper towels before using layering them in the tart.

The tart was delicious: Juicy and tangy with a slight herb-y undertaste, and not soggy when reheated. I paired it with a green salad and whatever leftover I had on hand, including my Sautéed Turkish Orange Eggplant.

Cost: This meal was pricier than most of my frugal efforts. The total came to about $15, but the recipe gave me five generous servings for a cost of $3 each.

Wine Pairing: A Sauvingon Blanc is recommended; I think I'd go with a simple white table wine. These wines may get a bad rap from wine snobs, but they are often very versatile.