Tomato, cheese and chorizo tart

click on image for larger view, this is Option 2 with the tarragon and grated fennel. It just melts in your mouth !

This was my first attempt at making a tart with puff pastry and I can tell you I am hooked on this stuff. I can't wait to experiment some more with it and try some sweet things also. I am not much of a sweet eater I prefer savoury. But if you want to try an easy one this is for you. I made two variety's with this one and much preferred the one with the shredded fennel and addition of tarragon. It just gave it another layer of flavor.

Tomato, cheese and chorizo tart

½ - ¾ cup grated gruyere cheese
Tomato slices
Chorizo sausage
2 squares puff pastry
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Option 2 – All the above plus:
1 tbsp tarragon, optional
1 fennel bulb, grated

Note: On one of the tarts I added the tarragon and fennel just as an experiment. I can tell you now that it was absolutely wonderful ! I will definitely do that again.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Take your puff pastry and spread it out on a non-stick pan or one with grease proof paper on it. Take a small knife and make a cut (being careful not to cut all the way through) about an inch in from the outside. This will leave the middle part to hold our good stuff and the outer one inch will “puff up” to hold the good stuff in. To help ensure our middle part doesn’t rise prick with the tines of a fork on the middle bit.

Next, take your chorizo sausage and slice into thin rounds. Pan fry them until they are about ¾ of the way cooked being careful not to overcook them or they will go hard. I would say no more than a minute or two depending on how thick you left them. Set aside to cool. Note: Next time I will just buy the already sliced chorizo sausage.

Add gruyere cheese to puff pastry (only in the middle bit) making sure to evenly spread it around. Then top that with tomato slices and chorizo sausages alternating until it’s all covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add tarragon if you like. Brush with olive oil.

Bake 15 – 20 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Serves 2-3