I’ve been eyeing up tomato tarts on Pinterest [1] for some time now. But I will admit, the thought of making my own pastry is just too much for this busy mom to handle some days, especially something as delicate as puff pastry. I’ve reached the conclusion that life is simply too short for somethings; like making my own puff pastry!
There are so many great pre-made puff pastry products (sold in the frozen food section), once I resigned myself to not embracing my full inner ‘Martha Stewart’, I realized how quick and simple throwing together a tomato tart could be. Similarly, you can make your own pesto (here is my recipe [2]), or you can buy it. If you buy it make sure that you purchase the fresh kind, not the one in a jar on a shelf.
This took me a total of five minutes to assemble and would make a perfect brunch, or lunch paired with a salad, or an amazing appetizer! If you want to make individual ones, cut your pastry into smaller squares and treat each as a mini tart. Ok, let’s be clear. This isn’t a low-fat dish. But that’s totally cool in our house, everything fits in moderation.
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of puff pastry (225 g)
- 3/4 c. soft goat cheese
- 2-3 Tbsp. milk or light cream
- 2 Tbsp. pesto
- 4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices horizontally
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 c. fresh grated Asiago cheese
- sea salt to taste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- If your puff pastry isn’t the rolled out version, roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface to about a 15″x11″ rectangle. It doesn’t have to be exact, just so that it fits on your baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl mix together the goat cheese, milk or cream (just enough to make it spreadable) and pesto until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the pastry, leaving a 1/2″ border along the edge.
- Arrange the tomato slices in rows (or however you want, we’re going for rustic here!), slightly overlapping at the edges, to cover the goat cheese. Sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sea salt and the basil leaves on the tomatoes and top with the asiago cheese.
- Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the top starts to bubble. Serve immediately.