Double Take: Herbed Tomato Tart

I knew this recipe would be a winner the moment I looked at it. I liked all the ingredients, woot! I begged Tabitha to let me make, despite her dislike of puff pastry. She agreed and we set a date. Originally, I had this one listed for making in November, but I realized how incredibly stupid that was. Tomatoes are already out of season here and it’s the beginning of October, so I knew I would only be able to find mealy, yucky tomatoes in November, so I moved this one towards the top of the list.

Then I had to find the perfect time to make it. It’s not exactly main-meal material, or at least I was nervous enough about whether or not Hubby would like it that I didn’t want to serve it as the entrée. Luckily, the perfect opportunity presented itself last weekend. We went hiking with some friends, and Hubby decided to reward us all afterwards with his famous lasagna. Well, we didn’t get back from hiking until 6:30 and lasagna takes 3 hours to make, so I decided to make the Herbed Tomato Tart (p. 475) as an appetizer for us. I knew one of our guests isn’t a fan of tomatoes, so I just left them off his part of the tart.

I made a couple substitutions/changes, but not many. Instead of using preshredded mozzarella, I used two balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced about ¼ inch thick. For my herb mix, I used fresh basil, chives, and parsley. Instead of wasting a second puff pastry sheet, I simply cut the edges from the sheet I was already using (I also didn’t bother to roll out the dough).

 Puff pastry just after the prebake. It rose. A lot. I ended up flattening it with my hands... maybe I should have rolled it out first.

Herbed Tomato Tart

from the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, also available online here

1 pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed (I used fresh puff pastry)

1 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 tsp. salt

1 (8oz) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (4oz) pkg. crumbled feta cheese

¼  c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

 ¼ c. finely chopped herbs*

1 tablespoon olive oil

*recommended herbs are oregano, basil, chives, sage, tarragon, rosemary and thyme. (I used parsley, chives, and basil)

Roll 1 pastry sheet into a 14-inch square on a lightly floured surface, place on an ungreased baking sheet. Cut 4 (12x1") strips from remaining sheets, and place along edges on top of pastry square, forming a border. Reserve remaining pastry for another use.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Meanwhile, place tomato slices in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle evenly with salt. Let stand 20 minutes. Place baked pastry on baking sheet; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and next 3 ingredients. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on top. Sprinkle with herbs; drizzle with oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese melts; serve immediately.

Loaded and ready to hit the oven!

THOUGHTS:

Oh my yum! We all agreed it would be a perfect dish for an hors d’oeuvres party. The part without tomatoes was tasty, and the part with tomatoes was tasty. Overall, it was great!

VERDICT:

Cook-the-onions-beforehand: 1 vote

Leave-off-the-yucky-tomatoes: 1 vote

Hey!-This-stuff-is-pretty-good: 2 votes

Yummy goodness ready for your belly. I would have gotten a better picture, but people were hungry! 

For Tabitha's take on Herbed Tomato Tart, head on over to Double the Garlic!