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Serves
2 8-inch galettes/tarts
Author Notes
This is the quintessential summer tart. A fresh pesto prepared with basil, arugula, cilantro, walnuts, mozzarella and strawberries (yes, that's not a typo) brings in whiffs of a summer garden. Ripe tomatoes are roasted long and slow till their flavor becomes concentrated. In a case of puff pastry and under a layer of fresh mozzarella, the tarts are baked until golden. You can make these into rustic, free-form galettes or in a tart pan. Either way, all you'll long for is a picnic. - Heena —Heena
Test Kitchen Notes
Gently slow-roasting the tomatoes concentrates their wonderful flavor -- it's well worth waiting three and half hours to make them. The strawberries add a little bit of sweetness that nicely compliments the tomatoes. You can mix and match the herbs in the pesto to suit your own preferences. - Stephanie
—The Editors
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Ingredients
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For the tomatoes:
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8
ripe tomatoes, preferably roma or plum
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3 tablespoons
olive oil
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Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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For the pesto:
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1 cup
fresh basil, tightly packed
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1/2 cup
arugula, tightly packed
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1/2 cup
fresh cilantro, tightly packed
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3 tablespoons
walnuts
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5
small strawberries
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1 ounce
fresh mozzarella, grated or roughly torn to small bits
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1/2 cup
olive oil
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Salt, to taste
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For the tart:
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2
10×10 inch sheets butter puff pastry, store-bought or homemade as you prefer
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6 ounces
fresh mozzarella, cut into thick slices
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 200?F.
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Cut off the stem-end of the tomatoes and slice them in half length-wise. Scoop out the seeds, juice and the stem, if it is tough. Gently toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up. Bake in the preheated oven for 3 1/2 hours.
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Make the pesto: Roughly chop the basil, arugula and cilantro leaves in a food processor. Add the walnuts, strawberries and mozzarella and process. Drizzle the olive oil slowly and process to a smooth paste. Season with salt.
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Preheat the oven to 350?F.
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Roll out the puff-pastry into 2 10-inch rounds. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of pesto (about 2 tablespoons) on the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. (You'll have pesto left over.) Layer 8 tomato halves on each pastry round followed by slices of mozzarella. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edges.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 mins until the pastry is golden.
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Do-ahead: The tomatoes and pesto can be made ahead. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, they will keep for several days. They are also good over grilled bread or pasta.
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