A nice cold snack to pack with lunch or a classy tea time side, these little savory tarts offer a perfect little burst of flavor, and are absolutely perfect as an elegant finger food for an evening party. In this one we have used soft bread, though it might be a nice idea to try brown or granulated.
Ingredients needed to make roughly 12 little tarts:
12 slices of white bread (soft)
1/3 cup of good olive oil
3 dark red tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 -5 tablespoons of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of dried basil
A pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces of thinly sliced fresh mozzarella
Balsamic vinegar, optional
12 fresh basil leaves
A muffin tin
Method:
First things first, warm up the oven! It needs to be on 375 degrees F. Cut the crusts off the slices of bread, you can stack them and do them all in one go if you want to be a pro. You need to press each slice down so that they are condensed are thin and doughy. Then you need to get the oil and brush it on both sides of each slice. Once that’s done grab the Muffin tin and place one slice per tart in the spaces. This will form the shells of the tart.
Get out a mixing bowl and a fork or a spoon. Throw all cream cheese, garlic powder, dried basil, pepper and salt together in the bowl and mix well. The combination should make a smooth creamy mix when done. For each tart drop about a teaspoon of the cheese mix onto each shell. Stick them in the oven for about 13 or 14 minutes. Check them often as at this heat the tops will burn quickly, you are aiming for a golden top and crusty base.
While the tarts are in the oven, you can throw some salt on the tomato slices. When the tarts have had their time in the heat, remove them from the oven and place them on a cooking rack to cool off. You’ll need a slice of mozzarella for each of the cream cheeses. On top of that place a very thin layer of a tomato. Season well, salt to taste, and drizzle a little bit of the olive oil, and if you’re in the mood for it, some balsamic vinegar also. Finish with a little of the basil sprinkled lightly.