Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Tart

I have to admit that this is not my recipe. I got this from Cook's Illustrated. It's so simple and yummy! The only thing I don't like about this recipe is the fact that puff pastry has trans fats, but with the way foods are changing these days, I doubt that will be an issue for long. Instead of Roma tomatoes, I used the plump heirloom tomatoes from our CSA box. Neither variety is very wet or seedy, so both suit the tart well. Varient recipes in Cook's Illustrated use either prosciutto on top of the mozarella (for the meat-eaters) or smoked mozzarella. Enjoy!



Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Tart
Serves 6 to 8

Flour for work surface
1 (1.1 pound) box frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight
1 large egg, beaten
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
1 pound Roma or Heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
8 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (I used fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons sliced basil leaves

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Dust work surface with flour and unfold both pieces of puff pastry onto the surface. Create one large sheet with a border, using these two sheets by: brushing egg along the short edge of one sheet and overlapping the second sheet on the egg by about an inch, pressing to seal together; cutting 1 inch strips from the long sides of the dough and the short sides and pressing those strips onto the main piece of dough to create a border; transferring the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat; trimming excess dough to create even edges; brushing the dough with egg. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over shell and bake for 13-15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 and continue to bake until golden brown and crisp, 13 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack; increase oven temperature to 425.

While shell bakes, place tomato slices in a single layer on double layer of paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second layer of paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes. Combine garlic, oil, and pinch each salt and pepper in a mall bowl; set aside.

Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over baked shell. Shingle tomatoes on top of cheese; brush tomatoes with garlic oil. Bake until shell is deep golden brown and cheese is melted, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with basil, cut into pieces and serve.