Cheese and Tomato Tartlets Recipe

Tartlets, or individual tarts, are a fantastic option for a starter if you are hosting a dinner party. I made cheese and tomato tartlets at Christmas when 15 friends and family dined in my home. It was an easy option because I made the pastry cases in advance and then filled and baked them on the day.

There are many different fillings you can use, so you will find several tartlet recipes on this website. Cheese and tomato tartlets are some of the easiest to make, and they will suit most tastes. Tomatoes and cheese is a classic combination, so it is a dish that is guaranteed to work.

When I make these tartlets, I use halved cherry tomatoes. However, you can slice regular tomatoes to use instead if you prefer. I also use two varieties of cheese with different textures and flavours. You will need one variety of cheese to hold its shape, while the other should melt and turn golden when baked.

The first cheese I use is Lancashire crumbly, which is a local cheese that remains firm during cooking. I like this cheese because it has a slightly salty and tangy flavour. Alternatives include feta, Wensleydale, halloumi, or anything else that has some texture when cooked.

For the second cheese, I use Cheddar, which is another British cheese. A good alternative that is available internationally is mozzarella, as this will go nice and stringy when you bake the tartlets.

Here is a recipe and step-by-step instructions for cheese and tomato tartlets.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 individual tartlets
Vegetarian/ vegan: Vegetarian- YES Vegan- NO
Dairy-free: NO
Gluten-free: NO

Ingredients for a Cheese and Tomato Tartlets

• 12 oz. plain flour
• 6 oz butter (+butter for greasing the tins)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 24 cherry tomatoes or 6 tomatoes
• 6 oz. Lancashire crumbly (or another firm cheese)
• 4 oz. cheddar cheese (or a stringy cheese)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Pepper to season

You Will Also Need…

• A mixing bowl
• A rolling pin
• Greaseproof paper
• 12 x 4-inch tartlet tins
• Baking beans

Making the Pastry

1. Start by preparing your pastry.
2. Weigh the flour and tip it into a mixing bowl along with the salt.
3. Then, weigh the butter and cut it into cubes before adding to the flour.
4. Rub the flour and butter into each other to make crumbs.
5. Add a little water to the bowl and stir in with your hand to bind the crumbs together. Remember, you can always add more water if the pastry is not coming together into a dough, but you cannot take it back out again.
6. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This will cool and firm the pastry, making it easier to roll.

How to Make Cheese and Tomato Tartlets

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C/ 375F/ gas mark 5.
2. Grease your tartlet tins by rubbing butter around the bottom and sides with your fingers.
3. Cut your cherry tomatoes in half or slice your larger tomatoes horizontally into four slices.
4. Lay the tomatoes out on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and grind some black pepper over the top.
5. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator.
6. Sprinkle some flour over the work surface and rub some flour across the surface of the rolling pin.
7. Roll your rolling pin backwards and forwards over the pastry while applying a little pressure.
8. Turn the pastry over and rotate by 90 degrees so that the pastry stretches evenly.
9. Repeat this process until the pastry is about as thick as a 50 pence piece.
10. If the pastry begins to stick to the work surface or the rolling pin during rolling, then add a little more flour.
11. Cut 12 circles of pastry approximately six inches in diameter. It is important that the pastry discs are larger than the diameter of your pastry tin. You can use a pastry cutter or cut them freehand using a sharp knife. Don’t worry too much about making precise circles as you will trim excess pastry later.
12. If you do not get 12 pastry circles out of the first piece of rolled pastry, combine the scraps and roll again.

Part-Baking the Pastry Cases

1. Put the pastry circles into the tartlet tins one at a time.
2. Position the pastry circle loosely over the top of the tin and poke down in the centre with your finger.
3. Lift one edge of the pastry with one hand and use the other hand to press the pastry into the edges of the tartlet tin. Repeat this with the other edge of the pastry until the pastry circle is pressed neatly across the bottom and sides of the tartlet tin.
4. Trim the pastry a little but leave some overhang as pastry can shrink in the oven.
5. Cut out some circles of greaseproof paper the same size as your tartlet tins. You can use the tins as a guide for this.
6. Put the greaseproof paper into the bottom of the tartlets.
7. Add baking beads to the tartlets as this will help the tartlets to keep their shape during baking. The greaseproof paper will stop the baking beads from sticking to the tartlet cases.
8. Put all the tartlets and the baking tray of tomatoes into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
9. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray.
10. At the same time, remove the tartlet cases from the oven and take out the baking beans and greaseproof paper.
11. You now need to tidy up the cases by cutting off any excess pastry. Use a sharp knife and lie the blade flat against the tins. Use a motion that draws the knife away from the tartlet so that the excess pastry drops off on the outside.

Assembling the Cheese and Tomato Tartlets

1. Next, place either two slices of tomato or four of the cherry tomato halves into the bottom of each tartlet case.
2. Cut the crumbly cheese or feta into cubes or crumble into pieces.
3. Sprinkle the cheese evenly into the tartlets.
4. Grate the second cheese and sprinkle over the top of the tartlets.
5. Return the tartlets to the oven and cook for a further 15minutes or until both the cheese and the pastry crust edges have started to turn golden.
6. Remove the oven and serve with a side salad. I also add coleslaw when serving my cheese and tomato tartlets.

Additional Tips

• It is easy to make the pastry cases for these cheese and tomato tartlets in advance to save you time if you are serving them at a dinner party. You can take the cases out of the freezer when you are ready to use them, add the filling, and then bake in the oven.
• Experiment with different types of cheese to find the flavours and textures you enjoy the most.
• Try adding a layer of caramelized red onion chutney to the base of the tartlet for an extra layer of flavour.
• You can read an alternative recipe for shortcrust pastry here.