With a short ingredient list and zero fussing required, this tomato tart with puff pastry is undoubtedly an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Ingredients
1sheet of puff pastry (roughly 8 oz.)
¼cupextra virgin olive oil, divided
1cupricotta cheese or ¼ cup crème fraîche
kosher salt
1.5lbs.cherry tomatoes
16oz.fresh mozzarella or burrata
½cupbasil leaves, loosely packed
flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Allow the puff pastry to thaw, either by allowing to come to room temperature for roughly 40 minutes, or microwaving it while wrapped in a paper towel for 15-30 seconds. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry with a rolling pin until it is roughly 18x13” and can fit comfortably inside a half sheet pan.
Place the rolled puff pastry inside the half sheet pan and poke the surface all over with a fork. Drizzle and then brush 1-2 Tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil directly onto the puff pastry. Spoon the ricotta or crème fraîche on top of the oiled pastry and then using an offset spatula, spread until it covers the surface of the pastry, leaving about a ½” border uncovered on the edges of the pastry. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
In a medium-sized bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with 1-2 Tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil and a couple pinches of kosher salt. Add the tomatoes to the top of the pastry. Place pastry in the oven and bake for 30 minutes on the middle rack until the puff pastry is a deep golden brown and the tomatoes are wilted and soft.
Allow the pastry to cool for 10-15 minutes, then tear the mozzarella or burrata into dried apricot-sized pieces and distribute evenly over the top of the pastry. Drizzle the top of the pastry with ½-1 Tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. Tear the basil leaves and sprinkle on top. Finish the pastry with a pinch or two of flaky sea salt. Cut and serve immediately.