Lorna’s Cooking School with Allyson Gofton: Bocconcini And Tomato Tart

I’m not terribly confident when it comes to baking pastry – unless I buy ready-made pastry, that is! But in cooking school this week, Allyson shows us how to make the perfect pastry (hint: it’s all about the ratio of flour to butter), and she has a really nifty trick to line the pie tin with pastry with no fuss at all. As well as explaining the importance of baking blind, she shows us how to make the easiest, tastiest tomato and goat’s cheese autumn tart. Delicious!


Recipe:
Bocconcini And Tomato Tart
Stunning to look at and eat. Serve with your favourite salad greens like rocket. Add crusty bread and you have a sensational tart for lunch.




Ingredients:
1 quantity rich short pastry
12 small tomatoes, preferably with calyx’s on
250 grams bocconcini cheese, thinly sliced
2-3 tblsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper to season
¼-½ cup basil leaves
Virgin olive oil for drizzling


Method:

1. Roll the pastry out of use to line the base and sides of a 23cm square flan tin. Prick the base with a fork. Line with baking paper and baking blind material, rice or ceramic beans. Bake at 190ºC for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans or rice and cook a further 7-8 minutes until well cooked.
   
   
2. Sit the 12 tomatoes in neat rows in the cooked pastry shell and then scatter over the sliced bocconcini and Parmesan cheese.
   
   
3. Beat the eggs and cream together with a good seasoning of salt and pepper and pour over the cheese and around the tomatoes.
   
   
4. Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes until the cheese has set. Scatter over the basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm.

Cooks Tips:

• Use goats cheese, brie or camembert in place of bocconcini.

Find more great recipes from Allyson Gofton at www.allysongofton.co.nz.