When native tomatoes are at their peak in the late summer and early fall, it’s time to make this easy and impressive tomato puff pastry.
With its base of store-bought puff pastry, this dish looks fancy and difficult but actually assembles in minutes. Just unfold the pastry, slather with garlic-infused oil, and scatter over shredded mozzarella cheese for a creamy, gooey base. Then arrange a mosaic of the juiciest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find, and bake to flaky, cheesy, golden goodness.
I usually serve this tomato puff pastry as an appetizer as part of a late summer, Italian-themed menu – perhaps one that features grilled fish or roast chicken rubbed with Tuscan herbs and brightened with lemon. With its pizza-like vibe it also makes an elegant lunch or light supper with a salad or a cup of soup and a glass of Chianti.
If you have tomatoes of different varieties, colors and sizes, arrange them on top of the pastry to highlight their beauty. But whatever variety of tomatoes you have will work fine, as long as they’re at their peak. No flavorless, pink-fleshed grocery store tomatoes allowed.
Prep tips, making this ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- Puff pastry needs to thaw overnight in the fridge, so plan ahead for that.
- Cheese can always be shredded ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for several days or more. I often think ahead to whatever dishes I’m going to make over the next few days, and shred all the cheese I need at once to get it over with.
- You can assemble the pastries without the tomatoes, up to several hours ahead. Lay out the pastry rectangles, brush with garlic oil and sprinkle with mozzarella, then chill until you’re ready to proceed. Wait until just before baking to salt, drain and add the tomatoes.
- Leftovers will lose the flaky lightness of the puff pastry but will still taste delicious the next day; I wouldn’t keep them any longer than that. Reheat as you would pizza, in the oven on moderate heat until the dough is re-crisped and the toppings are heated through.
Tomato and Mozzarella Puff Pastry
To make this pastry extra beautiful, use a variety of tomatoes in different colors and sizes. This is the time for seeking out the prettiest heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of fresh, slicing-variety tomatoes (do not use sauce varieties such as Roma plum)
- Kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- One sheet (½ a package) of store-bought puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
- 3 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about ¾ cup)
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped or julienned fresh basil
Directions
- Step 1 Core and slice the tomatoes about 1/3-inch thick. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and arrange the tomato slices on the towels in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and let the tomatoes drain for 30 minutes.
- Step 2 Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the upper third. Line a second large baking sheet with parchment.
- Step 3 Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Finely mince the garlic. Add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to the garlic. Mince the garlic and salt together, then use the side of your chef’s knife to mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Add the garlic paste to the warm olive oil and lower the heat to medium low. Heat the garlic gently in the oil for 5 minutes, making sure it doesn’t get hot enough to sizzle or brown.
- Step 4 Cut the square of puff pastry down the center into two rectangles. Arrange the pastry rectangles on the parchment-lined sheet with plenty of space between. Use a pastry brush to brush the pastry rectangles with the garlic oil. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pastries, leaving a ½-inch border around all the edges. Sprinkle each pastry with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan.
- Step 5 Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese layer, cutting the tomato slices to fit and cover the cheese in a single, beautiful layer. If you’re using Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (which is less “salty” than Morton’s), sprinkle on a little more now over the tomatoes, then finish with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Step 6 Bake the pastries for 25 to 30 minutes or until they’re golden brown and puffy. Slice the pastries and arrange the slices on a platter for serving. Sprinkle with the chopped or julienned basil.
