I became enamored with this tomato tart idea several years ago.  It seems to me to be an interesting substitute for the carbohydrate in a meal when you want to make something special, but also slightly rustic.  It works as beautifully with a picnic lunch of pate and salad as it does with a dinner of grilled lamb, which is what we had it with last weekend.  You have to work ahead a little to prepare the puff pastry, but if you have a batch of it in the freezer, it is pretty simple to roll it out, put on the toppings, and bake it off.  I should mention that leftover tomato tart is fabulous for breakfast the next day.

Tomato Tart

Adapted from New Zealand Cuisine, No 157 Mar 2013

For the filling

• 250g ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 400g cherry or small tomatoes, halved
• Olive oil for drizzling
• 250g mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tablespoons oregano, chives,  and basil leaves or basil flowers, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry out to about 4mm thick, keeping as circular a shape as you can.

Put the pastry on the prepared baking trays and refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Prick all over with a fork.

Put the ricotta and egg in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Spread the mixture over both pieces of pastry, leaving a 1 inch border.  Fold in the borders to form a rim.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, over the tarts.  Drizzle with a little oil, then bake for a further 10 minutes.

Nestle the torn mozzarella in among the tomatoes, and bake for a further 2 minutes or until starting to melt and slightly browned.

Once removed from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped herbs, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.