Bacon Tomato Basil Tarts

These are some tasty little bites.  Tomatoes paired with cheese, bacon and a basil crust, need I say more?  It's like a flavor explosion.  Too good for words.  And my favorite part of this recipe is that I grew these tomatoes in my garden, in Wyoming.  I have grown tomatoes in Wyoming before, but they never got ripe on the vine.  Gardening in Wyoming is a challenge to say the least, for me anyways.  This is a delicious treat that is perfect for appetizers, snacks or can be served  with a green salad to make a delightful meal.  The recipe can be doubled if you're feeding a crowd.  Give these a go, I know you're going to love them.

Bacon Tomato Basil Tarts

Ingredients:

for crust:

1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup Parmesan cheese ( I used the dried kind in the green can)

1 tablespoon dried basil

½ cup cold butter, cut into ½ inch slices

¼-1/3 cup cold water

for filling:

½ cup chopped tomato

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup provolone, shredded

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

12 whole basil leaves

Cooking Directions:

for crust:

Add flour, parmesan, basil and butter to a food processor bowl and pulse for about 30 seconds or until butter is crumbly.  With processor running, slowly pour in water until dough comes together and forms a ball.  Remove onto a floured surface and roll out to about ¼ inch thickness.  Use a cookie cutter or glass with a rim slightly bigger than your muffin tin cups, cut into 12 circles.  (You may have a little dough leftover- you can cut them into triangles and make crackers!)  Gently press into muffin tin and prick with a fork.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes.   Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

for filling:

While the crust is baking, in a medium size bowl, combine mayonnaise, provolone, salt and pepper. Set aside.

tart assembly:

When tart shells have cooled about five minutes, spoon about 1 tablespoon of chopped tomato into each shell.  Follow with about 1 tablespoon of mayo and cheese mixture in each and top each tart with a little crumbled bacon and a basil leaf.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tarts just start to brown around the edges.  Remove from oven.  Loosen edges of each tart with a knife and carefully remove to a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Miss