Little Tomato Tartlets and a Pie...

 I can always count on Everyday Food magazine for great ideas and great recipes. This one is so simple and it a keeper, especially since I have tons of gorgeous juicy Jersey tomatoes from the garden. These tomatoes were so big that some were spilling over the edges of the tarts. No matter though...the taste was amazing. 

These are really nice to serve as a light dinner with a salad or as a nice nibble with a glass of wine or Prosecco or heck even a martini....sitting under the stars on a hot summer evening...we really enjoyed these little babies.

  

Tomato Tartlets

adapted from Everyday Food, 2011

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (if you can get all butter puff pastry all the better, I love Dufour or Trader Joe's)
• 2 1/2 ounces grated Gruyere (2/3 cup packed) (the recipe originally called for Sharp White Cheddar)
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into ten 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Ground pepper
• 1/3 cup small basil leaves, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in upper and middle thirds. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out puff pastry to a 14-by-16-inch rectangle. With a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out 10 rounds and transfer to two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets; with a fork, prick each round all over. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese on each, leaving a 1/4-inch border, and top with 1 tomato slice. Brush with oil and season with pepper.
   
2. Bake until pastry is deep golden at edges, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let tartlets cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, top with basil.(I had a little extra cheese so I just put a tiny bit atop the tomatoes before baking)

 

On another note my baby is leaving for college tomorrow... we are all excited and busy packing and wondering if everything is going to fit into the car. I am so excited for him...and so proud of him. In the middle of everything else yesterday afternoon I just had to bake him a pie....what else is a Mommy to do?

It was Blueberry/Blackberry, the same recipe as this one . I had my Pate Brisee waiting in the freezer, defrosted it in the fridge the night before, rolled out my crust just simply this time, threw this pie together and in 10 minutes it was in the oven. The only change I made was to add a scant 1/2 teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon to the berries...it added a very nice nuance. The crust was shatteringly flaky...the boy was very happy to smell a baking pie as he walked in the door. He told me he would remember that scent when he is away....I got a big hug from my six foot three manchild. It was a good thing.