Cornmeal Crusted Tomato Tarts
So I bought these new tartlet pans. Who can resist tarts after seeing Tartelette’s eye-popping creations. I couldn’t wait to create a fabulous tart. But all the recipes for the tart dough called for at least one stick of butter. As if there isn’t enough indulgence already (all in the name of holiday baking), I searched for a low-fat, more-sensible recipe. I landed on Ellie Krieger’s page. I like her recipes from her show Healthy Appetite. Instead of substituting full fat cream cheese with a low-fat one, she talks about portion control and other sensible ways of eating right. I have tried many of her recipes and am happy with every one of ‘em.
I used her recipe for making the crust, but made the filling with what I had on hand. The original recipe looks equally good, which I plan to try out some day. As said in the reviews, the crust is a bit dry and crumbly. With more butter, it may be one of those melt-in-your-mouth tarts. But, hey, am happy with the recipe as-is. Also, I have used marinated mushrooms from the olive bar, which already had garlic and red peppers. You may want to add these separately if you are using fresh mushrooms. I have used sun-dried tomato pesto, you can use any pesto you have on hand.
This is my first time baking tarts, and the lesson I learnt is, the filling shrinks a little bit after being baked. So its better to slightly overfill them. This recipe makes four 4-inch tartlets that serves two.
Whole wheat pastry flour – 1/3 cup
Butter – 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Water – 2 to 3 tbspFillingRed onion – 1, small, sliced
Tomato – 2, firm and medium sized, thinly sliced
Marinated mushrooms with roasted red pepper and garlic – 1 cup
Mozzarella and/or Boursin cheese – ½ cup
Pesto – 4 tbsp
Basil – few leaves, shredded
Parmesan – 1 tbspMethod
Pulse the first five ingredients in the food processor until the dough form pea sized lumps. Gradually add one tbsp of water at a time and pulse until everything comes together. The dough for the crust can also be done by hand. Transfer the dough onto a working surface and knead for 10 seconds. Divide the dough into four equal parts and press each portion onto a 4 inch tart pan. Transfer the tartlet pans onto a baking sheet, prick a few holes on the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes at 350F oven. Rotate the baking sheet and bake for additional 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by sautéing red onions until brown. Sear any other thinly sliced vegetables, if using, on both sides, seasoned with salt and pepper. Slice the marinated mushrooms along with roasted red pepper and garlic. Shred mozzarella cheese.
Assemble the tart by brushing a tbsp of pesto at the bottom. Spread caramelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, red peppers, and other vegetables if any, one above the other. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and/or Boursin. Place tomato slices on the top. Season with salt and pepper and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
Take the tarts out and let it cool for 5 minutes. The edges pull away from the pan as they cool. Remove ‘em from the mold, grate parmesan over the tarts and garnish with basil. Serve warm with a side salad or flavoured yogurt.
These mini tarts are on their way to The Mini Pie Revolution hosted by Karyn and Ann at The Mini Pie Revolution Headquarters. Ann, Thank you for graciously accepting my tartlets.
