Tomato Tarts

Warm puff pastry squares with roasted tomatoes, pesto and parmesan cheese.

Today it was 100 degrees, but I had to get my boysenberries picked, my beans planted, and my garden cleaned up. Whew! You can imagine what I looked liked after all that work in the hot sun. Not a pretty sight. My horse kept looking at me over the fence trying to get my attention because I knew he was hot too. So, I thought I’d give him a shampoo to cool him off. He loved it!  I was a bigger mess by then, so of course, my daughter called to say, “Come over for dinner.” 

After a quick shower, I grabbed a few things to make some appetizers at my daughter’s, and we were off to have smoked steelhead trout and pulled pork sliders. So, what did I grab? Simple stuff I usually always have in my kitchen. Some puff pastry, a couple of tomatoes, some pesto and parmesan.

I’ve made these Tomato Tarts for so many parties for so many years, but it’s not an original recipe of mine. I wish I could give a shout out to the magazine from which I took the recipe, but it’s been too many years since I first tried this delicious, and oh so simple and easy appetizer. And every time I’ve served it, or taken it to someone’s party, everyone raves about it and wants the recipe. It’s that good.

Wanna get fancy? Top it with a piece of salami, pepperoni or a piece of garlicky shrimp. 

Serves 12

• 1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
• 2 tomatoes
• about 3 T pesto (from a jar or homemade)
• about 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
• sugar 
• salt
• pepper
• pinches of dried parsley

Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Push out most of the seeds and pulp. Set aside.

Open up the three fold sheet of puff pastry. Cut into three pieces along the lines of the three strips. Cut each strip into four pieces. Roll each piece to make a square.

Place the dozen squares of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat. Spread about ¾ teaspoon of pesto on the pastry. Put a slice of tomato on the pesto and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and sugar. Top with the parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until golden.  Sprinkle with a pinch of dried parsley and serve warm.

Variations: Put a thin slice of salami or pepperoni on the tomato. Shrimp works well, but you need to sauté them in a little olive oil, garlic, and salt first. Place the cooked shrimp on top of the tarts after they’ve been baked.