Tomato Basil Tart

Pin It
I accidentally made pizzas today. I thought it might be fun to bake a tomato basil tart, not realizing that tomato and basil on dough equals pizza. Oh well.

The pastry:

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, ice cold and cubed small
• 1/2 cup of ice cold water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in food processor. Add butter and pulse until the butter becomes small pea-sized pieces throughout the flour. Add cold water and process until thoroughly mixed. Wrap dough and refrigerate for half an hour. Roll out the dough into a flat sheet of 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut dough into discs 5 inches in diameter.

The "toppings":

• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and cubed
• 6 basil leaves, julienned
• 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese, cubed small
• 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, grated (optional)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix tomatoes and basil leaves together, add salt and pepper to taste. Put the mixture in the middle of the dough discs. Drizzle olive oil on top and bake for 35 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until the edges turn light brown. Remove from the oven and add mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and top with chopped parsley and additional cheese.

The pastry is incredibly flaky and buttery. Very good for my first attempt at pastry (if I do say so myself).


The side dish of the day is braised leeks with lemon. Simple and delicious.