The first shocker was the recipe for the crust calling for shortening. I've only used butter in my pie or quiche crusts, and it sort of grossed me out. I thought that maybe I could substitute something else to make it healthier, but apparently, you need it. This explanation from Bon Appetit says that lard and vegetable shortening have unique chemical structures, which creates the perfect flaky crust. Here it is before the filling (clearly, I'm still working on getting it to sit on the edge of the dish and be crimped perfectly...I should have read these tips first.)
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The quantities of the recipe have to be halved because it creates two tarts and I really only wanted the one. I also had to bake it about 6 minutes longer because I couldn't get the tomatoes to shrivel the way the recipe says. Here's the finished product!
Next time, I would toss the tomatoes with the herbs provencale so that it's mixed in rather than sprinkled on top. The gruyere cheese also tasted a little bit sour after being cooked. It's a strong, nutty cheese, which stands up against the acid of the tomatoes, but I'd use something more smooth next time.
