Saturday, February 7, 2009

Tomato and Mozzarella Tart

I found this recipe in Baking Illustrated It is similar to a pizza but baked in a pastry crust. The recipe sounds really complicated but it is actually quite simple.

Ingredients:
1 box (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3-4 roma tomatoes, sliced
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
ground black pepper
salt
2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh or dried basil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly flour the work surface, and spread out both sheetes of thawed puff pastry. Brush some beaten egg along one edge of one sheet of puff pastry, and overlap with the second sheet to form a rectangle about 18 by 9 inches. Smooth out the seam between the sheets with a rolling pin. Cut two 1-inch strips from the long side of the dough and two more 1-inch strips from the short side of the dough. Transfer the big piece of dough to a greased baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Place the long strips of dough on each long side of the dough and brush them with egg. Press the short strips on each short side of the dough and brush with egg. You will now have a border around your rectangle. Sprinkle the bottom of the rectangle with Parmesan cheese. Poke holes in the bottom with a fork. (Don't forget this step) Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 to 17 minutes until the dough is crispy and browned. Remove the dough from the oven, and increase the temperature to 425 degrees
2. While the shell is baking, place the tomato slices on top of two layers of paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let stand for 30 inutes, then press the tomatoes with two more paper towels to dry. Stir the garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of both salt and black pepper and set aside.
3. Sprinkle the mozzarella enenly over the bottom of the baked shell. Overlap the tomato slices on top of the cheese. Drizzle the garlic and olive oil mix on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle garlic on top of the tomatoes. Bake in a 425 degree oven until the shell is a deep golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.

Source:
Baking Illustrated: A Best Recipe Classic Brookline, Mass.: America's Test Kitchen, 2004

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