Blue cheese tarts with roasted cherry truss tomatoes

These little pastry cups with tangy blue cheese and sweet, vine-ripened cherry truss tomatoes are perfect party food. 

Preparation Time

20 minutes

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Makes

12

Ingredients

• 12 (about 1 x 240g pkt) cherry truss tomatoes
• Melted butter, to grease
• 2 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, just thawed
• 150g Castello blue cheese
• 12 small fresh basil leaves

 

Method

1. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Use scissors to cut the tomatoes from the truss, leaving tops intact. Place on the lined tray.
2. Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush 12 mini muffin pans with melted butter to grease. Use a 7cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 12 discs from pastry. Line prepared pans with pastry discs. Line each pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with pastry weights or rice. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C. Roast the tomatoes for 12 minutes or until the tomatoes soften slightly.
4. Place the blue cheese in a small bowl. Use the back of a teaspoon to lightly press until the blue cheese softens. Season with pepper. Remove paper and pastry weights or rice from pastry cases.
5. Divide the blue cheese among the pastry cases. Arrange the tarts on a serving platter. Place a basil leaf into each tart. Top with the tomatoes to serve.
   

Notes

Cook's tip: To ensure you cover the pastry cases completely before baking in step 2, cut your baking paper into 10cm squares. With a twist: Ricotta & chive tarts with roasted cherry truss tomatoes Omit basil. Replace the blue cheese with fresh ricotta. Stir chopped fresh chives into the ricotta in step 4.