Just today I did a review of bring it! This new cookbook by Ali Rosen presents tried and true recipes you can lug to a potluck or other casual dining experience. If the gathering is one where everyone contributes a dish, this dish is sure to capture attention as you bring it to the table. And the applause and people taste the simple combination of tomato, onion, herbs, and crust.

While you can use a store-bought crust for this dish, it really will shine much brighter if you take a little time and make a simple crust yourself. Homemade is, well, homemade and surely better.

Here Parmesan cheese replaces the ubiquitous goat cheese. The flavor profile will be different and your party guests will appreciate the surprise. Of course, you can add, mix and match cheese to make this dish as rich or extravagant as you desire.

Cherry Tomato Tart

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust, preferably homemade
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes (or more if needed depending on size of tomatoes and crust)
• 1 ½ tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Place the pie crust in a pie pan and crimp the edges. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until lit has started to harden. Remove it from the oven and cool.

Place a skillet on medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions have browned. Add the onion mixture to the pie crust. Sprinkle ⅔ the Parmesan cheese on top of the pie crust and then add the cherry tomatoes on top. Make sure the cherry tomatoes really fill the pie: err on the side of overfilling rather than underfilling. They will settle as they bake. Sprinkle the thyme, the remaining Parmesan cheese, and the salt on top.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes start to brown and pop a little bit. Remove from the oven and cool before serving. Do note that this dish starts to fall apart once you begin cutting, so try to serve it all at once if possible.

Source: bring it! by Ali Rosen [Running Press, 2018]