Ingredients

The following ingredients have 5 Servings
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (, thawed)
  • 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk (, beaten together to make an egg wash)
  • 3 ounces whipped cream cheese (, softened)
  • 3 tablespoons pesto sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 medium tomatoes (, sliced 1/4-inch thick, patted dry with paper towels)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper (, to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 clove garlic (, finely minced)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 large fresh basil leaves (, julienne or torn)

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. Unfold the pastry onto the parchment.
  • Lightly brush entire pastry with the egg wash. Pierce pastry several times with fork. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and gently lift pastry to a rack to cool off a bit.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  • In a small mixing bowl combine cream cheese and pesto. Add a tablespoon of the milk at a time and determine whether you need to use both – you want the mixture to be loose, but not runny. Mix well.
  • Spread cream cheese mixture carefully over bottom of pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
  • Arrange tomato slices, slightly overlapping, on top of cream cheese mixture. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper, then sprinkle the parmesan and garlic all over, and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of pastry are golden brown, has puffed up, and there are no visible juices from the tomatoes. (Watch it carefully to make sure the edges aren't over-browning.)
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil.
  • Let tart cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.