Cherry Tomato Mascarpone Tartlets Recipes

TOMATO TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Sift the flour and salt together and rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the cheese and bind with a little cold water. Chill for 30 minutes and then roll out to line an 8-inch flan dish. Chill again for 30 minutes.
• Cover with foil and baking beans and bake blind in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and baking beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. (If continuing with the recipe leave the oven on.)
• Peel the tomatoes, seed, slice, strain and save the juice.
• In a small pan heat the oil over a low heat and saute the onion until soft, add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato juice, season and cook until the juice is almost absorbed. Put this in the pastry case (shell) and cover with the fish. (If you are using fresh tuna cook it in a pan with a little more oil for about 2 minutes turning as necessary, then flake it.) Cover with the tomatoes and grated cheese. Whisk the eggs with the cream and pour over the tomatoes, scattering the olives on top. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold with a green salad, or a salad of green beans, or deep fried French Beans which you have dipped in batter

CHERRY TOMATO MASCARPONE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Stir the mascarpone, Parmesan and egg yolk together in a bowl with a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
• Unroll the pie crusts and cut out 8 rounds with a 4 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Lay out the rounds on a work surface and drop a level tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto the center of each, spreading just enough to leave a 1/4-inch border. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese in the center of the tarts (about 6 halves per tart), leaving about a 1/4-inch cheese border. Fold and crimp the edges of the crust just over the cheese but leaving the tomatoes uncovered. Top the tomatoes with the shallot and thyme, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Transfer the tarts to the prepared baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes are wilted and lightly browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TOMATO BASIL TARTLETS

Steps:

• Special equipment: a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter
• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using the tines of a fork, prick the pastry all over. Using a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 16 rounds of pastry. Place the pastry rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry rounds. Place another baking sheet directly on top of the parchment paper to keep the pastry even while baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove the top baking sheet and the top piece of parchment paper.
• Spread 1 teaspoon of tapenade on each pastry round. Place about 1 tablespoon of cheese on top. Arrange 2 pieces of tomato on the cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chopped basil on top.
• Transfer the tartlets to a platter and garnish with a pinch of fleur de sel.

PASTA WITH A CHERRY TOMATO AND MASCARPONE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet, over a medium heat.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the cherry tomatoes, onion and salt. Stir frequently. This mixture will need to cook for about 25 minutes until the sauce has developed.
• When the tomatoes soften and the skins start to burst, press on them to release the juices inside. Once the majority of the skins have burst, it does not need stirring more than once every 5 minutes.
• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, so it will be ready in time for the sauce.
• After about 25 minutes, the tomatoes should all have split and the juices should have created a sauce. Stir in the mascarpone cheese until melted and blended in.
• If desired, use a blender or hand-blender to puree the sauce, otherwise it can be left chunky.
• Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves to the sauce, stir and serve on top of the pasta or mixed together with the pasta.

CHERRY TOMATO TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place the pie crust in a pie pan, then trim and crimp the edges. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until it has started to harden. Remove it from the oven and cool.
• Place a skillet on medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions have browned. Add the onion mixture to the pie crust. Sprinkle 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese on top of the pie crust and then add the cherry tomatoes on top. Make sure the cherry tomatoes really fill the pie: err on the side of overfilling rather than underfilling. They will settle as they bake. Sprinkle the thyme, the remaining Parmesan cheese and the salt on top.
• Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes start to brown and pop a little bit. Remove from the oven, garnish with additional thyme and cool before serving. Do note that this dish starts to fall apart once you begin cutting, so try to serve it all at once if possible.
• Stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Add in the butter using two knives or a spoon, but try not to use your hands too much because you want the mixture to stay as cool as possible. You can also combine the dry ingredients with the butter in a food processor, using the pulse setting. The objective is to get the butter incorporated with the flour, creating pea-size pieces.
• Slowly add in the water and mix until it just comes together as a dough. The amount varies depending on the type of flour and butter you use; it may take more or less liquid to bring together. Dump the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, press together in a round, wrap well and chill for at least an hour.
• To roll out, flour a work surface well and divide the dough in half. Using a rolling pin (or an empty wine bottle if you don't have one), roll out each half into a 1/8-inch-thick round, creating two crusts. The crusts are now ready to be used.