World Famous Tomato Tarts

This recipe is a version of my original "southern tomato pie" but condensed to a smaller version that works great at parties or for entertaining!

Ingredients:

Fresh ripened tomatoes
Fresh basil
Mayonnaise
Mozzarella Cheese
S&P
Good pinch of sugar
Fresh nutmeg
Phyllo tart cups (I use "Athena" you can find them in the freezer section by the pie shells)

Peel tomatoes.  You can peel by hand or cut an X on the top with a knife and plunge into boiling water with a fork in the end of the tomato for about 30 seconds and the skins will peel right off.  Squeeze tomatoes so that most of the seeds and juice come out - retain the juice for later. 

Dice the tomatoes and put in a colander to drain.  Add salt and pepper at this time - it will help the juices to come out (again retain in the same bowl of other juice for later).  After they have drained really well - put tomatoes between paper towels or a cloth and gently twist to get out more of the juice.  Put the tomatoes in a bowl and add fresh chopped basil and sugar (the sugar will take out some of the tartness of the tomatoes).  This is important because if you don't you will get a really soggy pie :(

Cook shells in hot 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes until browned.  Remove and let cool and set aside.  Turn oven down to about 375.

Mix equal parts of mayonnaise and shredded mozzarella cheese and add some chopped fresh basil and about 2-3 "zests" of fresh nutmeg and some pepper.  I don't add any salt because the cheese is salty enough.

With a small teaspoon, put small amount of tomatoes in each tart and top with an equal amount of cheese mixture.  Cook on 375 until well browned.

These are good served warm or room temperature.  I have not been successful making these ahead of time because the shells just get mushy.  Also, if you make the tomatoes the day before you have to refrigerate them and that takes so much of the taste out of them.  Sometimes I will make a bowl of the cheese mixture and the tomatoes in the morning and leave the tomatoes out until I am ready to bake. 

This is by far the number one requested recipe that I have.  Recently, it was used in a segment on the Travel Channel by Andrew Zimmern on his recent visit to Crow Mountain Guest Ranch in Alabama.  The show airs in November - can't wait to see these little babies on national television!  Here's a link to his facebook page featuring the recipe and some of the comments!  The post was on Sept. 13th - just look for the picture of the tomato tarts - the same on at the beginning of this recipe!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/AndrewZimmern