Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pepper Parmesan Pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced1/2 cup pesto (homemade or purchased)
2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced 3/4-inch thick
To make the pepper pastry: Blend together flour, butter, Parmesan, pepper and salt in a bowl with your fingertips, or use your food processor or mixer, until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and gently stir with your fingers, or use your food processor/mixer until incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful. If it doesn’t hold together without falling apart, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently after each addition until incorporated. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Place rolled out dough into tart pan or pie pan. Lightly prick tart shell all over with a fork. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to prevent shrinkage. Now we are going to bake the tart shell ‘blind’ – which simply means that we line shell with foil (or parchment) and weigh down with purchased pie weights. (What I use is a mixture of uncooked rice and beans.) Bake in the center of the oven 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack.
Now it is time to fill our baked tart. If using a traditional tart pan, remove the side of pan. Arrange one third of mozzarella in bottom of shell and drizzle with one third of pesto. I have found that purchased pesto can be somewhat thick, if this is the case for you, I suggest adding a touch of olive oil to thin the pesto and make it easier to work with. Arrange one third of tomato slices, overlapping, on top of the mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering twice.
You can serve this cold, or I like to heat mine for about 10 minutes to soften the cheese and tomatoes and for the flavor of the basil pesto to marry with the other ingredients.
Enjoy!