Recipe: puff pastry tart with tomato, cheese and pesto

Ready-made puff pastry is the savior of spontaneous dinners. A puff pastry tart radiates instant success, without taking much time. And the combination of tomato, cheese and pesto is always a crowd-pleaser. 

Do resist the temptation to pour the canned tomatoes directly onto the baked pastry. It is important to cook the tomatoes first so the sauce thickens; otherwise, you will end up with a soggy tart base. Use whichever pesto you like—the majority of flavors complement tomato. Classic basil pesto goes wonderfully with canned tomatoes. Pistachio pesto is a delicious variation on this recipe. And what about kale pesto? Tahini pesto is also highly recommended.

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
• Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Score the pastry all around, 3 cm from the edge, so that you have a
  notched rectangle in the pastry. Prick holes in the inner rectangle with a fork.
• Bake the puff pastry in the hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small pan. Fry the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.

• Remove the puff pastry from the oven and press down the inner rectangles with a spoon or fork, leaving a raised puff pastry border.
• Pour the tomato sauce onto the inner rectangles and spread the sauce to the edges. Divide dollops of pesto
  over the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top.
• Bake the tart in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the pastry is fully cooked.

More tips for a puff pastry tart

You can vary this recipe endlessly. For example, replace the basil pesto with Gouda cheese with another flavor combination, such as red onion chutney with goat cheese. And this sheet-pan pizza with lemon pesto, mortadella, figs, stracciatella and pistachio is also incredibly delicious!