Polenta tart with goat cheese, shallots, and tomatoes

I had some fabulous polenta at L'Artusi the other night and have been craving it since. I wanted to try something new, though, and thought a tart with polenta instead of a regular pie crust could be fun. I went to the farmer's market and picked up some really good salad greens, some hot house tomatoes, some shallots, and some fresh goat cheese. It was a pretty simple dinner, and would be great for a lunch, too. Really yummy! I want to try this again when more veggies are in season. Maybe fill it thickly with roasted vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. That would be great! The goat cheese was gooey and fab. Wish I could remember the vendor at Union Square market!

Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 small beef steak tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup polenta
2 cups milk
1 cup water
salt and pepper
butter
1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre style)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1/4 cup grated Pecorino or Parm

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Bring water and milk to a boil with a generous sprinkle of salt (about 2 tsp).

Slowly add the polenta while whisking. Reduce heat and stir continuously for about 15 minutes until it's all absorbed and pulling away from the sides. Stir in about half of the Pecorino and a tablespoon or so of butter, to taste, along with some salt and pepper, to taste.

Immediately pour the polenta into a greased pie tin (my pie tin is on loan right now, so I improvised with some folded tin foil). Spread a relatively thin layer all across the bottom and edges on the top. Let it sit and harden a bit.

Saute the shallots and thyme with about a tablespoon of butter, adding a little extra virgin olive oil as necessary. Once soft, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Remove from heat.

Spread creme fraiche in a thin layer on the bottom of the tart. Add the shallots and top with half of the goat cheese, crumbled.

Then layer the tomatoes on top and sprinkle with salt. Top with remaining goat cheese and Pecorino.

Put in the oven for about 10 minutes until warmed, then put under the broiler for about 5 minutes until cheese begins to brown a bit. Slice like a tart and serve with some salad.