Cheesy Tomato Tart

One of my foodie friends recommended this recipe from this website, and I knew that if she said it was good, she meant it was fabulous. This afternoon, our apartment building had a holiday party, and I made this to share with the group.  It was very well received.

The combination of fresh, ripe tomatoes, crisp puff pastry, smokey cheese, garlic and basil makes this recipe something I will definitely make again.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The tart that results from this recipe is rather small.  As is, it will feed two people, maybe with a side salad on the side.

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (If you don't have it, use mozzarella, gouda, etc)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used a nice smoked mozzarella; gouda would also work)
1 very large tomato (or two plumb tomatoes), cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

To remove some of the moisture from the tomatoes, take the tomato slices, salt lightly on both sides, and place on a triple-layer of paper towels.  Cover with additional paper towels. Leave sit for 30 minutes or so.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place puff pastry on center of baking sheet.  Form a crust by folding over the very edge of the puff pastry, about 1/4-1/2 inch or so.  Pierce the puff pastry all over with a fork to avoid air bubbles.  Sprinkle crust with parmesan cheese, and bake for ~15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.  Remove from oven.  Press down center area of puff pastry if necessary.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the puff pastry.  Top with tomato slices.  In a small bowl, combine garlic and olive oil, mix, and then drizzle evenly over tomatoes.  Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper.  Bake for ~10 minutes, until crust is deep golden brown.

Cool on cooling rack for a few minutes before topping with fresh basil.

Serve with a crisp salad.  Enjoy.