Tomato & Goat’s Cheese Tarts

1 Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut out 12 x 10cm (about 4”) circles of pastry. Place circles on a baking sheet (tray). Cut a 5cm (about 2”) round from the centre of half the pastry circles. Brush whole pastry circles with beaten egg, then top with pastry rings, then brush with beaten egg. (Discard the small inner circles of pastry, or cook them as a nibble, though you’ll need to remove them from the oven before the tarts are done as they brown very quickly.)

2 Slice goat’s cheese (don’t worry if it crumbles) and place in centre of pastry circles. Cut a cross into the smooth end (not core end) of each tomato, cutting about a third of the way through. Embed three tomatoes in goat’s cheese in each tart. Add a basil leaf to each, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with flaky sea salt and black pepper.

3 Bake tarts for about 15 minutes, until pastry is nice and golden. Serve hottish (don’t serve immediately from the oven because the tomatoes will scald your mouth!).

Photography Aaron McLean http://www.aaronmclean.com