I felt the changing of the season almost immediately, then the first brisk morning came … but before summer’s end, I’m going to get my full of as many garden and heirloom tomatoes, and also of white peaches, that have been quite the sweet year. Especially after 2 years of not being able to taste all the homegrown and favorite seasonal produce {yes, Covid looking at you and making me one of the long haulers who loved to smell and taste things only to take it away and distort it for way too long}. So yes, I’m so excited to finally be able to taste the full richness of a tomato, sometimes my now sensitive palette taken aback by the intense “beefiness” of these summer staples, or the juicy ripe peaches that are truly all I crave these days. Any combination of these two is a winner in my book, so many possibilities, like starting with this salad and going wherever your favorite flavors take you.
I truly can’t get enough of tomatoes and have yet to tire of them, in fact I’m often trying to come up with new, but effortless, minimal cooking recipes for these gems. And last week, I quickly and casually enjoyed summer evening making these for a light but flavorful dinner. It was a crowd pleaser that turned your average midweek dinner into something special — my only regret not making enough to enjoy, even just one, of these tartelettes for every day that remained in the week. Paired with a fresh green salad, and the options of grilled chicken or fried runny eggs. Go with the runny eggs, it’s so good! And another reason why these heirloom tomato tartelettes are simply the best summer dish, they not only highlight the beauty of the season’s fresh flavors, but it’s versatile enough to work for any gathering, or simple outdoor meal, from breakfast to dinner and everything in between!
If you love tomatoes and need a different way to enjoy summer tomatoes and fresh herbs, then these flaky puff pastry tartelettes with a thin layer of homemade fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella — are just what you need! You really don’t need a recipe for this, you really could layer whatever your favorite sauce, cheeses, and herbs are — perhaps a pesto or goat cheese spread, maybe some olives or oregano and thyme — once layered atop flaky puff pastry dough you really can’t go wrong!
You know that when it comes to entertaining, and cooking or baking in general, I fully believe that the simplest of recipes are quite often the most delicious and memorable. When ingredients are in season and they’re at their freshest quality, the simplest of dishes is how to best let their flavor shine.
These tomato tartelettes, which can easily be made into a single large galette tart version, are a great dinner when short on time and you have plenty of tomatoes from the garden or market becoming redder and sweeter by the day.
Since this tomato tart version highlights the best of seasonal heirloom tomatoes, you want to use good juicy ones which aren’t too hard to find right now. Be as colorful with your selections as you can be; deep reds, oranges, browns, yellows. Since tomatoes are so amazingly fresh right now, I choose to bake my shells with the sauce and cheese first, then finished off with the tomato slices atop for a few minutes, just so they warmed ever so slightly. You can choose to leave yours complete raw atop your baked pastry, or if your tomatoes are a bit too ripe to serve others go ahead and bake them longer with your crusts.
Sure they’re like little pizzas, one did call them that when I served them, but these really are lighter, dare I say daintier than pizza. Fancier, but really not that fancy at all, the perfect mix. It really is the perfect dish to enjoy in the yard for a casual lunch or share at any gathering. Set it out as the centerpiece to welcome guests, or serve it as the main course with different proteins. Just make sure you make this soon, because tomato season will be gone before you know it.
EFFORTLESS HEIRLOOM TOMATO TARTELETTES
MAKES 8 SQUARES — or 2 LARGE TARTA
INGREDIENTS
2 sheets — Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
about 1/3 cup — Fresh Tomato Sauce, recipe here {or use your favorite summer sauce}
about 1 cup or 8 slices — Fresh Mozzarella
6 to 7 — Mixed Heirloom tomatoes {use Cherry Tomatoes too!}
Sea Salt, Fresh Black Pepper + Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for seasoning to taste
large handful — Fresh Basil, thinly sliced
Egg, lighten beaten, or Milk, for brushing
RECIPE
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unfold a chilled sheet of puff pastry. Roll lightly with a rolling pin just to flatten completely, Cut horizontally and then vertically to make 4 squares. Fold the edges over slightly, overlapping like an envelope and prick the bottom of the centers. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, evenly spread a heaping tablespoon of the tomato sauce atop the pastry centers. Place strips of fresh mozzarella and sprinkle with few tear basil leaves. Brush the crust edges with the milk, or beaten egg, season entire tartelette with salt and pepper.
Bake until begins to turn golden {about 15 minutes}. Remove from oven layer tops with tomato slices as desired, add a few cherry tomato halves too. Bake for another 5 minutes, remove tartelettes from baking sheet and cool slightly on cooling rack. Top with fresh basil. Slice and enjoy!
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