Three-Tomato Tart

Items that go well with this recipe are barely cooked sugar snap peas, carrot curls, and toasted hazelnuts.

Ingredients:
Pastry for single-crust pie
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
Two cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh lemon thyme or thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
Two large tomatoes, sliced
Five yellow or red cherry tomatoes, sliced
Two red cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons snipped fresh lemon thyme or thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450-degrees. On a lightly floured surface roll pastry into a circle about 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to a 10-inch tart pan; ease pastry into pan. Trim pastry even with rim of pan. Do not prick pastry. Line pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake for five minutes. Remove foil. Bake for five to seven minutes more or until pastry is nearly done. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325-degrees. Sprinkle tart shell with Parmesan cheese.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl beat egg whites slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese, garlic, and the 1-tablespoon thyme; spread over pastry.

Overlap large tomato slices in a circle around edge. Arrange yellow cherry tomato slices in a circle within the tomato ring. Fill center with red cherry tomato slices. Stir together olive oil or cooking oil and the 2-teaspoons thyme. Brush tomatoes with oil mixture.

Bake tart in 325-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and nearly set. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftover tart.

Recipe makes 10 to 12 appetizer servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories 179
Total Fat 11g
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 9mg
Protein 6g
Total Carbohydrate 14g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sodium 134mg