Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata...and He's Home!

Can you tell a bouillabaisse from a cioppino?

A pierogi from a knish?

A galette from a crostata? 

I'll admit to you that I had to look up the difference between 
a galette and a crostata,

and what I found is that they are pretty much the same thing.

Both are rustic, free-form tarts, with the filling piled in the center, 
and the crust folded up around the edges.

The French version is a galette; the Italian version is a crostata.

This summer, I just didn't feel like cooking much, and wanted only simple meals.

Who am I kidding, I never feel like cooking, but I can get away 
with it more in summer while Junior Goo Shoes is at camp.
 I turned to my Summer Recipes board for inspiration, and when this Tomato Crostata popped up from The Suburban Soapbox,
I knew it was exactly what I was in the mood for.

I actually made it twice.
The first time I sprinkled the cheese on top, which made it more like a pizza.
 I used too much, and felt that the cheese overwhelmed it,
The next time, I used less cheese, and put it underneath the tomatoes.
I can't believe I am saying this, but I preferred it this way.
Considering that my life motto is "Never Too Much Cheese,"
this was shocking to me. 
But, in this case, the tomatoes needed to be the star, 

while the cheese had to be content with, er, not be the 'big cheese'. 

 This was so tasty, and comes together in minutes.
It needs to bake about 20-25 minutes, and then cool another 10-15 minutes,
so it doesn't fall apart when you serve it.
Besides, it tastes much better warm, or at room temperature, than hot.

Add a salad, or corn-on-the-cob, and ring the dinner bell!
(Does anyone actually have a dinner bell?
Ours sounds remarkably similar to me yelling "DINNER'S READY!")

 If you've got more tomatoes than you know what to do with, 

I'd recommend that you give this a try. 
The recipe serves three normal people, four people with small appetites,
and two, if you're me and Mr. Goo Shoes. 
You'll have to figure that part out on your own.

  In other news, Junior Goo Shoes came home from camp on Sunday!
He had a great time, but is really trying to come to grips 

with the fact that this was his final summer.

He's spent the last few days holed up in his room, 

face-timing and snap-chatting with his camp friends. 

He surfaces every now and then, around meal time, 

which is when we get to hear some of his camp stories.

He had two shining moments this summer...

one was when he broke the home run record 

in the big baseball game of the summer (three!)...

Sorry about the blurry face - he's shy!

The other was when he and a friend wrote a song for the final "sing" competition, and they were the BIG winners!

That's him in the blue-green shirt, hugging the girl he wrote the song with.

It warms my heart to see how happy the other kids were for them...

and THAT is EXACTLY why I love (and will miss) this camp so much!

More blurry faces - they're all shy!

And here is EXACTLY why you will love this crostata --
It's easy and delicious!

'Nuff said.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostata

Recipe adapted from The Suburban Soap Box

1 ready-made pie crust (such as Pillsbury or Trader Joe's)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of ground pepper
3-4 small tomatoes (I used four plum tomatoes)
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese (reserve 1 tablespoon).

Preheat oven to 425°.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out the pie crust dough. It should be approximately 1/8" thick. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spoon half the olive oil mixture into the center of the dough, and spread evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge free of oil (the dough won't stick properly when it's folded over, if it's oiled). 
Drop the crumbled goat cheese all over the dough, leaving a one-inch border around the edge. 
Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in the center of the dough, leaving a one-inch border around the edge. 
Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of goat cheese over the tomatoes.
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes. 
Fold up the edges of the dough over the tomatoes and crimp the edges. (The center of the tomatoes will not be covered).
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown and crispy, and tomatoes look cooked.
Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. 
Serve warm or at room temperature. 

You may also like these other light suppers:

Tomato, Basil & Kale Frittata

Pasta Salad with Arugula, Basil and Kale

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