Vegetarian Tomato and Basil Tarts
Course Type: Appetizer, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
It’s everything you love—fresh tomatoes, rich olive oil and aromatic herbs—in one flaky, buttery bite.
Ingredients:
- 5 oz (dry weight) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1-2 teaspoons dried herbs such as Herbs de Provence or dried parsley, to taste
- 1 (13.2 oz) package puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 30-35 NatureSweet® Glorys® tomatoes
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes from the olive oil, reserving the oil. Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon of the reserved oil, and the tomato paste in a food processor or blender until a paste forms. Add the herbs to taste. Note: Save the rest of the sun-dried tomato oil for other cooking or salad dressings.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Unroll the puff pastry dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Use a 4 or 5-inch round pastry cutter to cut rounds from the dough and remove the excess. Alternatively, cut the dough into squares or rectangles. Note: You can reshape the leftover dough and use it to make sweet puff pastry bites or another tart base
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water until combined, then brush the egg wash over the tart bases. Prick the center of each round with a fork.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, spread an even layer of the tomato paste over the center of the tart and top with 4-5 tomatoes. Return to the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden, and the tomatoes are soft.
- 6. Serve warm, and garnish with grated parmesan, fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of black pepper.
