Cherry Tomato Tart

How to prepare cherry tomato tart

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
2. Mix in a small cup the tomato paste, olive oil, powdered sugar (make sure it's not vanilla-flavored or any other flavor) and water. It's best to mix with a whisk, but a fork works too. Water is added because tomato paste is quite thick and won't mix with the oil, so it needs to be thinned a bit. Pour this mixture over the tomatoes and stir.
3. Heat a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoon of butter in a wide pan (so the tomatoes aren't crowded). Add the tomatoes and stir quickly. Turn all tomatoes cut-side down. Sauté the tomatoes over medium heat (you should hear a light sizzling the whole time) for 5 minutes. During this time don't stir the pan, just gently move it back and forth so the tomatoes don't stick. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Add the balsamic glaze (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water - it's very viscous) and move the pan with back-and-forth and side-to-side motions until the sauce is uniform (you can tell by the color when the vinegar is mixed with the sauce). Sauté for 1 more minute like this. Remove the pan from heat.
5. Grease ceramic or non-stick molds with oil (I used small 7cm diameter molds; but you can use any size you have, you can even make a single tart of about 16 cm).
6. Arrange the tomatoes on the bottom of the molds with the cut side up. Place them close together, don't leave empty spaces. Sprinkle the tomatoes with grated Parmesan.
8. Cut the puff pastry to the size of your molds, just making sure it's 1 cm larger. Roll over the cut discs a few times (only 4-5 times, don't press too hard). Prick the discs evenly with a fork. Place the discs over the tomatoes and with the blade of a blunt knife press the edges down around the tomatoes. With a sharp knife, score an X in the center of the dough (to let steam escape).
9. Put the molds in the oven preheated to 220°C (425°F). After inserting the tarts, lower the temperature to 200°C (400°F). Bake the tarts until the pastry is cooked and nicely puffed (about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the tarts).
10. While the tarts bake, strain all the sauce remaining in the pan through a fine sieve (if you have some leftover tomatoes that didn't fit in the molds, mash them too). You'll get a sauce. Use this sauce to decorate the plates.
11. Remove the molds from the oven and let them rest until they stop sizzling. Run a knife around the edge to release the pastry from the sides. Flip the tarts using a plate.
12. Serving: dip a silicone brush in the sauce and brush the plate diagonally. Place a tart (or a slice of tart if you opted for a larger mold). Decorate with basil leaves (or mint; if you don't have fresh herbs, you can sprinkle dried oregano). Serve alongside a piece of cheese (ideally something with a strong flavor, an aged cheese: aged goat cheese or gorgonzola for example). They're good warm or cold.

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