Confit cherry tomato and pesto tart

An elegant tomato and courgette tart, a labour of love and perfect for impressing guests. While it requires several steps and about 3-4 hours to prepare, the result is a beautifully layered dish with complex flavours. The combination of confit tomatoes, homemade pastry, and sun-dried tomato pesto creates a rich, savoury experience balanced by fresh courgette.

By Richard Bainbridge
From Saturday Kitchen

 

This recipe has a Nutri-score of C, indicating it is moderately healthy. While it contains nutritious vegetables, the high fat content from butter and oils impacts its score. More about Nutri-score

Ingredients

For the confit of cherry tomatoes:

• Cherry tomatoes: 20, halved through the equator
• Thyme: 4 sprigs, leaves only
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp
• Caster sugar: 10g/⅓ oz
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste

For the savoury pastry:

• Plain flour: 250g/9 oz
• Salted butter: 150g/5½ oz
• Free-range egg: 1
• Salt: a pinch
• Caster sugar: a pinch
• Full-fat milk: 15g/½ oz

For the sun-dried tomato pesto:

• Sun-dried tomatoes: 125g/4½ oz
• Garlic cloves: 2–4, peeled but left whole
• Sunflower seeds: 70g/2½ oz
• Balsamic vinegar: 100ml/3½ fl oz
• Parmesan: 50g/1¾ oz, grated
• Tomato purée: 50g/1¾ oz
• Olive oil: 120ml/4 fl oz

For the courgette puree and to serve:

• Courgette: 1, chopped
• Olive oil: 4 tbsp
• Basil leaves: 2 tbsp
• Courgette: 1, thinly sliced
• Fresh mint leaves: 2 tbsp

Method

Prepare the confit tomatoes:

• Preheat the oven to its lowest setting.
• Place halved tomatoes on a baking tray, cut side up.
• Sprinkle with thyme leaves, dot with olive oil, and season with sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Bake for 2½–3 hours until skin becomes crinkly but not browned.

Make the savoury pastry:

• In a large bowl, rub flour and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add egg, salt, sugar, and a splash of milk. Mix to form a smooth dough, adding more milk if needed.
• Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the sun-dried tomato pesto:

• Place all ingredients with a splash of olive oil in a food processor and blend.
• Slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil until you achieve a stiff but spreadable consistency.

Form and bake the pastry cases:

• Roll out pastry to 2–3mm thickness and line 4 x 10cm/4in loose-bottomed tart tins.
• Trim excess, prick bases, and freeze for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Line cases with foil or paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 15-25 minutes.
• Remove lining and beans, bake for an additional 5 minutes to dry the base.

Make the courgette puree:

• Blanch chopped courgette in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then refresh in cold water.
• Blend with oil and basil until smooth.

Assemble and serve:

• Add a spoonful of tomato pesto to each cooled tart case.
• Cover with thinly sliced courgettes and top with confit tomato halves.
• Warm in the oven for 2–5 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve with courgette puree on the side.

Nutri-score Health Check

This recipe receives a Nutri-score of C, indicating it is moderately healthy. The score is influenced by several factors:

• Positive components: The dish is rich in vegetables (tomatoes, courgettes) which provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
• Negative components: The recipe contains high amounts of fats from olive oil, butter, and cheese, as well as added sugars.
• The pastry, made with refined flour, contributes to a higher calorie content without significant nutritional benefits.
• The presence of nuts (sunflower seeds) and the use of olive oil contribute some healthy fats, slightly improving the score.

While the dish offers some nutritional benefits from its vegetable content, the high fat and calorie content from the pastry and oils prevent it from achieving a higher score. To improve the nutritional profile, consider using whole wheat flour for the pastry, reducing the amount of added fats, and increasing the proportion of vegetables to pastry.