Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Tart

By charlotteh371

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8-10 pieces
• 4-5 tbsp. ice cold water
• For the Filling:
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Ripe Cherry tomatoes
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly grated parm
• 1-2 tbsp. minced fresh basil

Preparation

Step 1

To make the dough, combine the basil and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until finely minced. Add the flour and salt; pulse briefly to combine. Add in the chunks of butter and pulse about 10 times, or until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs. Add 3 tbs of the water and pulse a few times to incorporate. Add 1 more tbs and process for several seconds to see if the dough forms a ball. If not, add the remaining tbs of water and process until a ball of dough forms. Remove the dough, flatten into a 5 inch disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 425. Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Lay the dough over a 9 inch round tart pan and press it into the sides. Trim the excess dough as needed. I use this to reinforce the edges. Lay a piece of aluminium foil or parchment paper loosely over the tart dough and fill the center with baking beads. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12mins. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil or parchment and baking beads. Return the empty tart shell to the oven to bake for 5 mins more. Remove from the oven and lower the heat to 375.

Layer the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell with the sliced mozzarella. Arrange the cherry tomato slices on top of the cheese in a single even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with freshly grated parm and minced fresh basil.

Bake about 30mins, or until the dough is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in places. About halfway through baking, rotate the tart 180 and wick off any excess moisture that has collected with a towel if necessary. Allow the tart to rest at least 5 mins before slicing and serving.