While spring and summer gatherings might look a little different this year, the markets are loaded with the most beautiful, bright produce that can be enjoyed in the comfort of our own home. Heirloom tomatoes are juicy, colorful, sweet and robust in flavor and can be made into an easy Heirloom Tomato Tart. . Layering the flaky puff pastry crust with a thin spread of basil walnut pesto and juicy heirloom tomatoes makes a crazy good Mother’s Day brunch appetizer! 
How to make an Heirloom Tomato Tart
Puff Pastry
Making your own puff pastry might make you feel like a hero, it is totally not necessary. Frozen puff pastry already comes in the perfect sheets that just need to be thawed out, unrolled and you are ready for the base of your tart.
Basil Walnut Pesto
Basil Walnut Pesto is bringing all the flavor in this colorful Heirloom Tomato Tart. Using walnuts, garlic, basil leaves, lemon zest, parmesan, olive oil and lemon juice will create a beautiful green color and a thick paste like texture. I love the addition of lemon juice and zest in this recipe for a subtle pop of bright and fresh flavor. 
Heirloom Tomatoes
Colorful, odd shaped, large and small in size and super cool to look at, heirloom tomatoes are more than just their looks. So what gives these tomatoes the title “heirloom”? It’s the seed! The seeds of the best tomatoes are saved from each season and farmers use these seeds to create the desired sweetness, size, texture and color they like. 
Heirloom Tomato Tart
Heirloom tomatoes are juicy, colorful, sweet and robust in flavor and can be made into an easy Heirloom Tomato Tart. . Layering the flaky puff pastry crust with a thin spread of basil walnut pesto and juicy heirloom tomatoes makes a crazy good Mother’s Day brunch appetizer!
Ingredients
Heirloom Tomato Tart
1 sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
3 Tbsp Basil Walnut Pesto (recipe below)
4 Heirloom Tomatoes, Red, yellow, green and purple
1 Cup Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
Optional: Micro Greens and Basil Leaves for garnish
Basil Walnut Pesto Ingredients
¼ Cup Walnuts
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
¼ Cup Parmesan
½ tsp Lemon Zest
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
Instructions
Basil Walnut Pesto Directions
In a the bowl of a large food processor combine the walnuts and garlic and process until finely chopped
Add the basil leaves, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and process until mixture is the consistency of a paste; approximately 1 minute
Remove the pesto from the food processor into a tightly sealed jar and store in the refrigerator for a later use or use immediately
Heirloom Tomato Tart Assembly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper
Unfold the puff pastry sheet and shape into a tart pan or a free form 9×13 rectangle
Using a fork and prick the rectangle all over
Spread the Basil Walnut Pesto to cover the puff pastry
Thinly slice the heirloom tomatoes and arrange them evenly over the pesto
If you are creating a free formed tart, fold a one inch border over the sliced tomatoes to create a border
Egg wash* the puff pastry border and sprinkle parmesan over the border
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown
Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes
Slice and sprinkle mini heirloom tomatoes over the top of the baked tomato tart
Optional: Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic reduction and garnish with micro greens and fresh basil leaves
Transfer the Heirloom Tomato Tart to a cutting board and cut into individual pieces
*Egg Wash
1 Egg
1 tsp Water
Whisk together egg and water
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