Caprese Pesto Tart // Vegan Option

March 27, 2017

Springing onto the blog today with this seasonal tart.

I know that I talk about the weather a lot on here but I am British and this is what we do… The weather this week has been so stunning and all I want to do at such times is pack up a picnic and devour it in the sun, food always tastes better when it is eaten outside, I don’t know why but it is just one of life’s greatest and simplest pleasures. Due to the unpredictability of the British weather it is hard to plan picnics – when the sun decides to rear it’s head you just have to wake up and leave the house ASAP with the contents of your fridge to munch on. This tart is the perfect solution to such a quandary: the ingredients are usually to hand, it takes 30 minutes to prep and cook and and it is easily sliced and packed up into lunchboxes – perfect to go food.

This tart can be very easily modified. If making pesto from scratch does not appeal to you then a few tablespoons of the shop bought equivalent would work just as well. You could add slices of cooked chicken or ham or if you are vegan cut out the mozzarella and the parmesan from the pesto (the puff pastry that I used is marked as suitable for vegans). I hope that you enjoy the recipe!

Serves 2 – 4

Prep time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

300 g pre rolled puff pastry sheet
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp grated parmesan
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large handful basil leaves
1 peeled garlic clove
salt and pepper
300 g tomatoes, finely sliced (I used a mix of cherry and plum tomatoes)
150 g buffalo mozzarella, torn into bite sized chunks
1 corn on the cob
1 egg, whisked
1 tbsp balsamic glaze (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Get a sheet pan that is approx 20″ x 12″ and sprinkle the flour over it (to avoid the pastry sticking) and then lay the pastry sheet on top of it. If the pastry spills over the sides trim it to fit.
In a blender blitz together the basil leaves, parmesan, garlic, pine nuts and lemon juice until in a paste. Gradually add the olive oil until it becomes smooth and season to taste. Spread the pesto evenly over the pastry sheet leaving a one inch boarder all the way around the edges.
Place the tomatoes evenly in one layer all over the pesto and season generously with salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush brush the egg wash along the pastry boarder. Place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up along the edges and turned a golden brown.
Meanwhile fry the corn on the cob on a high heat, turning occasionally until it has cooked through and charred the surface of the corn kernels slightly. Use a sharp knife to slice the kernels off the cob.
Remove the tart from the oven. Sprinkle over the mozzarella, corn and any excess basil leaves or pesto. Drizzle the balsamic glaze if using and serve up!

Thank you so much for reading this post, I hope that you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think in the comments as I love hearing from you and do not forget to follow me on instagram and on this blog to see more recipes and foodie musings from me. The link to do both can be found below if on a tablet/ phone or in the side bar if on a computer >>>