{lunch tart}

I love tarts. Fruit, veggie, cheese and cream...I love them all! Today, I was craving a "lunch tart". Well, in all honesty, I've been reminiscent of days past and specifically my first extended time in France. I was still in high school, and being that those days passed many, many years ago, some of the memories are faint. But, I do have a distinct memory of being at the Sallé's home in Normandie with my mother. The company was fun and exciting; the food, delicious! It was on one of those warm, orange sunset evenings that I remember eating a light tart. I can remember the flavors consisting of tomatoes and swiss with a hint of dijon, sitting in a delicate and flaky crust. That's what I crave! Hmm...

I should have called my mom, as I'm sure her memory would serve me wonders; however, I embarked on filling this craving on my own.

I started off by making pate brisee:

...then spreading on a thin layer of dijon mustard:

...putting down a thin layer of Swiss cheese, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil:

...baking it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes on 375... (oh, i put a bit of fresh parmesan on top too.)

...cooling it slightly and hosting it on my beautiful French plate, passed down to me by my mom!

...then partaking in this delightful creation, which I served with a sweet butter lettuce salad topped with a simple balsamic dressing.

YUM! Craving satisfied. I think in the future I would try using my other crust recipe. Hmm. I think it would be "less rich". One delicious idea was that I also added fresh basil before serving, to enhance the flavor. There's probably a great recipe out there similar to this, that makes more sence, but I'm happy with my "on the whim" creation.