A beautifully simple tomato tart with the clever addition of Brie and sesame seeds, from Saturday Telegraph columnist Xanthe Clay’s book ’10 Minutes to Table’.
The thing about a tart like this, is that you can put whatever you like on top. Raid the deli counter for grilled peppers, roast aubergines, artichokes and the like, but do check that the vegetables aren’t vinegary before you buy them.
Serves 2
For the Tomato Tart
1⁄2 x 375g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp sesame seeds
200g (7oz) Brie or other soft cheese
300g (101⁄2oz) cherry tomatoes on the vine
For the parsley, caper and olive pesto:
bunch of flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp small capers
handful of olives (black, green or a mixture)
olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF/220ºC/Gas 8 and put a large baking sheet in to heat.
2. Lay the pastry on a piece of baking parchment. Sprinkle the pastry with the sesame seeds (making sure they go right to the edge) and roll out the pastry to half its original thickness, pressing in the sesame seeds with the rolling pin. Trim the edges to make a neat rectangle.
3. With a sharp knife, score a border around the edge about 2cm (1 inch) wide, being careful not to cut all the way through the pastry. Lift the pastry, still on the baking parchment, onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 2 minutes, while you get everything else ready.
4. Slice the Brie thinly. Take the pastry out of the oven and lay the cheese over it (not on the border), then arrange the tomatoes on top. Bake for 7 minutes, until browned and crisp.
5. Rip the leaves off the parsley and chop fairly small. Place in a mortar with the capers. Stone and chop the olives and add those too. Add a good glug of oil, enough to make a pesto-like consistency. Stir well, then taste and season with sea salt. Drizzle the pesto over the tart when it comes out of the oven. Serve straight away, pulling off the tomato stalks as you eat.
A few minutes less: Buy a ready-made, large, savoury tart case, spread the base thickly with crème fraîche and arrange the rest of the tart’s ingredients on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake until hot through.