Tomato & Mozzarella Tart with Ricotta Pesto

INGREDIENTS

• 250g Plain Flour
• 170g Very Cold Butter, cut into small cubes
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 Egg, plus extra for egg wash if needed
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Ice Cold Water, if needed
• Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 500g Cherry Tomatoes
• 250g Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Basil Pesto
• A Few Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil, to serve
• Mozzarella Ball, to serve

METHOD

1. First make the pastry: place the flour, butter, and a pinch of sea salt in a bowl. Using a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until you have a rough pebble mixture. Whisk together the egg with the balsamic vinegar.
2. Add the egg mixture to the butter and flour. Using two forks, gently toss through until the dough begins to come together. Add a little cold water if needed to bring the dough to a rough ball. Turn the pastry out onto parchment paper or cling film, wrap up, and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
3. While the pastry is chilling, preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, thyme, and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.
4. When the pastry has rested, cut it into quarters and roll each piece out on a clean, well-floured work surface until it forms a round to fit a 10cm tartlet tin with a removable base and is about 5mm in thickness.
5. Transfer the pastry to the tartlet tins and cut off any loose edges. Repeat until you have 4 pastry-lined tartlet tins in total. Prick the pastry bases with a fork and spread with ricotta cheese.
6. Place the tomatoes on top and bake in the oven for about 20–25 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced in size by half, are slightly charred, and the pastry cases have turned a nutty brown. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the tartlets. Arrange on plates topped with torn fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.

Top Tip: Don't have a tart tin? Simply fold the edges of your pastry in on itself to form a collar holding in all your ingredients, then bake on a baking tray!