Tomato and Basil Tart

Some Saturdays ago, I had a friend come over for lunch. The main course was planned days in advance and on Friday evening it occurred to me that having a hors d’oeuvre would be a nice touch. And so the frenzy of looking for a suitable and quick recipe commenced.

It didn’t take me long as I remembered Kathy’s Cheese, Tomato and Basil Tart recipe that I have been meaning to try. A quick trip to the local supermarket in search for ricotta was futile so I had to improvise. Light cottage cheese was the next best thing available. The basil leaves were freshly picked from the windowsill pot. Seeing as my guest is a vegetarian and it is almost next to impossible to find vegetarian friendly Parmesan cheese, I stuck to good old Mature English Cheddar.
It took all of 5 minutes to whip up and with the 20 minute baking time, I had a visually stunning tart in 30 minutes that definitely impressed. I cut the tart into small squares that were perfect for nibbling. Taste-wise this tart was as I imagined; light cheese and tomato filling, flaky puff pastry and herby basil is enough to whet your appetite and more!

Next time you’re in a blind panic thinking about recipe options, take a deep breath and proceed using this one. 



Tomato and Basil Tart

Ingredients

250g cottage cheese
150g mature cheddar, grated
2 eggs
A handful of basil leaves, torn
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Puff Pastry

Method
  1. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the cottage cheese and cheddar and preferred seasoning and give it a good mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
  2. Add half the torn basil leaves and mix.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry onto baking parchment and fold the sides to form a dam which prevents the cheese mixture from spilling onto the sides.
  4. Spread the cheese mixture evenly onto the pastry and top with halved cherry tomatoes and excess basil leaves.
  5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180” C.