Italian | Tomato and Mozzarella Tart with Prosciutto

Posted on July 21, 2011

This recipe was sent in by a friend. It's awesome! The layers are perfect - puff pastry, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil drizzle. I am already craving this one again!

Yield: serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

unbleached all-purpose flour for work surface

1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed in box in refrigerator overnight

1 large egg, beaten

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

1 pound plum tomatoes (about 3 to 4 medium), cored and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

kosher sea salt

2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

freshly ground pepper

8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

 

Method

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Dust work surface with flour and unfold both pieces puff pastry onto work surface. Form 1 large sheet with border, using beaten egg as directed below.

Form TART SHELL: Brush egg along short edge of one sheet of puff pastry. Overlap with second sheet of dough by 1 inch and press to seal pieces together. With rolling pin, smooth out seam. Dough should measure about 18 by 9 inches. Use pizza wheel or knife to trim edges straight. With pizza wheel or knife, cut 1-inch strip from long side of dough. Cut another 1 inch-strip from same side. Cut 1-inch strip from short side of dough. Cut another 1-inch strip from same side. Transfer pieces of dough to parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with egg. Gently press long strips of dough onto each long edge of dough and brush with egg. Gently press short strips of dough onto each short edge and brush with egg. With pizza wheel or knife, trim excess dough from corners. (I skipped forming the sides of the tart and went with a flat crust.)

Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over shell; using fork, uniformly and thoroughly poke holes in shell. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; continue to bake until golden brown and crisp, 13 to 15 minutes longer. (NOTE: My oven cooked this way faster. About half the time, so watch closely.) Transfer to wire rack; increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

While shell bakes, place tomato slices in single layer on double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second double layer paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes. Combine garlic, olive oil, and pinch each salt and pepper in small bowl; set aside.

Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over warm baked shell. Arrange prosciutto in single layer on top of mozzarella. Shingle tomato slices widthwise on top of prosciutto (about 4 slices per row); brush tomatoes with garlic oil. Bake until shell is deep golden brown and cheese is melted, 15 to 17 minutes. (Note: Again, watch, I don't think it takes that long.) Cool on wire rack 5 minutes, sprinkle with basil, slide onto cutting board, cut into pieces and serve.

Notes for next time: I sort of found the directions a bit much and plan on simplifying them the next time I make it. Also I think it would be helpful to get the tomatoes started prior to starting on the crust since the cook first cook time is less than 30 minutes. Also I would prepare the olive oil before starting.

 

(Ref. "Tomato and Mozzarella Tart with Prosciutto" recipe, submitted by SteveJ.)