Cheese Straw Tomato Tartlets

 Cheese Straw Tomato Tartlets marry a

cheese straw with a bite size tomato tart!

Perfect for a tomato-fix when summer tomatoes aren’t available, since you find flavorful cherry or grape tomatoes in the grocery store year round.

And a great little bite for a party too, good warm or served at room temperature!

Cheese Straw Tomato Tartlets

Crust Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper (don’t omit!)

3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese

1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water

 Prepare Crust:

Pulse first 3 ingredients in a food processor 3 or 4 times or until combined. Add butter, and pulse 5 or 6 times or until crumbly. Stir in cheese. With processor running, gradually add 1/2 cup ice-cold water, and process until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl, adding more water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary.

 Divide dough in half; place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape each into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 2 to 24 hours.

 Roll 1 dough disk to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 rounds using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, rerolling dough as needed; press into cups of a lightly greased 12-cup miniature muffin pan. (I used a 24 count mini muffin tin and a melon ball scoop to press the dough down into the tin.) Repeat procedure with remaining dough disk and another muffin pan.

Filling Ingredients

2 pt. red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Crumbled feta or shaved Parmesan cheese (goat cheese would be good too)

Prepare Filling:

Toss together tomatoes and next 8 ingredients;

let stand 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Divide tomato mixture among cups.

Bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden. (I covered mine with foil half way through the baking time to prevent the shells from overbrowning.) Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 15 minutes). Sprinkle with cheese.

Notes: I had enough dough and filling for 30 mini tartlets. Err on the side of over filling, rather than under filling the tartlets, since the tomatoes cook down a bit.

 I would make these again in advance next time and reheat with just a little drizzle of olive oil on the tomato filling, adding the cheese right before serving. A little caramelized onion underneath the tomato layer would be a delicious addition too!

Are you ready for tomato season? :)

You can find a printable recipe courtesy

of Southern Living, here.

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