Tarte Fine with Cherry Tomatoes

On a recent trip to the Mustard Seed Market & Cafe, I picked up a copy of "Sunny Season Flavors", published by Delicious Magazine. Every page is filled with beautiful photos and scrumptious recipes. I may try to cook my way through the entire thing! How hard could it be to work through 118 recipes this summer? I chose to begin with the Tarte Fine with Cherry Tomatoes, actually listed in the "starters" section. I paired it with a nice salad for our dinner. The recipe was great! Easy to follow and turned out beautifully. I made one small addition. I will be making this again, especially when my tomatoes begin to ripen. This would be nicely done with heirlooms and perhaps herbed goat cheese. They carry a whole wheat frozen puff pastry that I will pick up next time I get there (it's about 1 hour away!), for a healthier option as well. I am not adventurous enough to make my own, yet. If you have an pointers or tips for making puff pastry, feel free to comment!

Tarte Fine with Cherry Tomatoes
serves 4

1/2 package (from 17.5 oz frozen puff pastry, 1 sheet)
7 oz goat's feta (or soft goat's cheese)(I used the President's Crumbled Feta)
1 tbs. chopped chives
1 tbs. chopped thyme
1/2 tsp chopped rosemary (my addition)
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs. grated Parmesan (I used shaved, and a bit more)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I would suggest using a rimmed baking sheet, just in case the tomatoes leak out. I cut the paper to fit the sheet, then took it out to roll the pastry on.

Thaw one pastry sheet according to package instructions, in my case 40 minutes. Unfold pastry on lightly floured parchment paper ( the same one cut to fit the pan). Roll pastry into a 12" x 10" rectangle. If there are any cracks in the pastry, sprinkle with water and press together. Fold in the edges of the pastry to make a border, pinching the edges together. Prick the pastry base with a fork, place back in the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mash the feta (best at room temperature) with the herbs, then spread over the pastry base. I found the best way to do this was with my fingers. I could not get it to "spread".

Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, over the feta. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Brush pastry edges with the beaten egg.

Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then return to the oven and continue baking 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes brown lightly.

I served this with a salad of sweet baby greens with a few leaves of basil tossed in, sliced roasted beets, a few pine nuts, crumbles of goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette!