These little tartlets are brilliant for a summery supper
when you want to impress a bit. They look rather pretty, and there’s hardly any
effort involved: just buttery, flaky pastry, oozy mozzarella and sweet fresh
tomatoes.
Ingredients
250g puff pastry (it usually comes in packs of two 500g
slabs, so pop the rest in the freezer)
A ball of mozzarella
2 fat beef tomatoes
2 tablespoons of pesto
Salt and black pepper
A tablespoon of butter
For the salad:
About 220g pasta
A couple of tablespoons of pesto
A good handful of fresh rocket
A handful of pine nuts
Serves 4.
First of all, do note that puff pastry usually takes a
long time to defrost, so it’s best to get it out first thing in the morning.
However, if you do forget, I have managed to defrost it in the microwave – just
keep a close eye on it, and don’t dry it out!
Preheat the oven to 200˚C fan (or 220˚C
non-fan). Cut the puff pastry slab into four even quarters, and stick two of
them in the fridge for tomorrow (unfortunately you can’t refreeze it and you
usually have to buy it frozen – but you can easily use the leftover bits to
make a quick pudding over the next couple of days. Just roll out and top with
jam, chocolate spread, or fruit with a drizzle of honey, and bake for the same
amount of time). Dust the remaining two quarters with plenty of flour and then
roll out into squares about 5mm thick, and cut these into two rectangles each, leaving
you with four tart bases.
Spread half a tablespoon of pesto onto each base, leaving
a 1cm-wide border around the edge. Top with a couple of thin slices of
mozzarella and finish off with a couple of slices of tomato. Sprinkle with a
little salt and pepper. Pop the tablespoon of butter in a microwave dish and
blitz it for just a couple of seconds so that it melts, then brush the edges of
the tarts with the melted butter – this will help them go brown and crispy in
the oven. Pop the tarts in and set a timer for 20 minutes.
Next, the pesto salad. I like to let pesto pasta cool
down a bit (somehow it’s not quite right when it’s boiling hot) so I would put
it on as soon as the tarts go in, but it’s up to you! When it’s cooked to your
satisfaction, mix in a couple of tablespoons of pesto, plus the rocket and the
pine nuts.
When the timer dings, the mozzarella should be bubbling
and golden, and the edges of the tarts should be looking crispy. Serve up with
a generous spoonful of salad and wash it down with a lovely glass of red wine.
Bon appetit!
