Happy Bastille Day

Being as it is July 14th, I had to take a moment to wish everyone but especially my cousin Aaron a happy Bastille Day!!!  For those of you that don't know, Aaron is my partner in all crazy things, the other half of my brain because we think so much alike and as my mother once dubbed us "you and that one".  Aaron threw a Bastille Day dinner party for the first time 5 or 6 years ago where he served coq au vin for all of his friends and the tradition has stuck.  I've been along for the ride for 4 of those crazy, insanity filled Bastille Day dinner parties and they have truly been some of the best parties that I've ever thrown or even been at. Each year has taught me so much about the way I cook and entertain and the memories that I have from each of them are so priceless.  Some would say that after my first year of cooking in the hot, non-air conditioned sweat box in Atlanta where we had the brilliant idea that we could pull off crepes for 30 I would have been scarred for life but each year we would dive further into channeling our inner Julia Child and throwing a fabulous party.  Some years we would change up different elements of the menu and the party now takes place in Philadelphia where Aaron lives but as long as we have lots of wine and a bunch of people around, you are bound to have an amazing time. This year life got in the way and we are taking a hiatus from our Bastille Day dinner party but I know next year we will be back on the bike of the party (I had to throw a tour de France reference in there).  

I couldn't let Bastille day pass without any fanfare so I whipped up a roasted tomato tart before I went to work today.  The first time I had this tart, Aaron and I were at this great French restaurant in Philadelphia and the tart was so delicious that I started badgering the waitress for the recipe because I knew this was something that I wanted to make myself.  She set me up for success with what was in the tart and then I kind of ran with my own imagination.  I usually make bite-sized ones to serve at a dinner party but today I made a large one and it came out great.  Here is the recipe so you too can have a little bit of France in your life.  

Roasted Tomato Tart

In a small saute pan throw in 2 pints of grape tomatoes, a few gulgs of olive oil, 2-3 cloves of chopped up garlic, a quick drizzle of good balsamic, and salt and pepper.  Let it saute for a good 10 minutes, stirring once in and a while so that the tomatoes start to break down.  After another few minutes, mix in a tablespoon of tomato paste to help thicken the filling and continue to let it cook until most of the tomatoes have burst or are soft.  At the end, stir in a few tablespoons of chopped up basil along with 2-3 tablespoons of goat cheese.  Right here you can stop and just enjoy the tomato mixture like it is as a warm bruschetta with a big baguette or you can continue with the tart.  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a 9 inch circle and place into a pie dish.  Prick the puff pastry all over with a fork so it doesn't puff up and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Usually my puff pastry still puffs up but I just push it back down with the back of a spoon.  Spoon your filling into the pie dish over the pastry and bake for another 15-20 minutes until your tart has set up.  Serve warm with a simple green salad on the side.