Tomato-Basil Mozarella Tart

File this under appetizers from my sister.  She had given me the recipe, but I lost it.  Lucky for me, because searching for that recipe was how I found Annie's Eats, which has given me sooooo many great recipes.  This is a favorite of my mother-in-law too, and I'm looking forward to making it again!

Tomato Mozarella Basil Tarte
Adapted from Annie's Eats


Ingredients:
For the dough:
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8-10 pieces
4-5 tbsp. ice cold water

For the filling:
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
Ripe cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbsp. minced fresh basil

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the basil and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until finely and uniformly minced.  Add the flour and salt; pulse briefly to combine.  Add in the chunks of butter and pulse about 10 times, or until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.  Add 3 tablespoons of the water and pulse a few times to incorporate.  Add 1 more tablespoon and process for several seconds to see if the dough forms a ball.  If not, add the remaining tablespoon of water and process until a ball of dough forms.  Remove the dough, flatten into a 5-inch disc, and wrap well in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 425° F.  Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 12-inch circle.  Lay the dough over a 9-inch (11 inch is ok, too) round tart pan and press it into the sides.  Trim the excess dough as needed.   Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper loosely over the tart dough and fill the center with baking beads or, dried beans of any sort.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and remove the foil or parchment and baking beads.  Return the empty tart shell to the oven to bake for 5 minutes more.  Remove from the oven and lower the heat to 375° F.

Layer the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell with the sliced or chopped mozzarella.  Arrange the cherry tomato slices on top of the cheese in a single even layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan and minced fresh basil.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in places.  About halfway through baking, rotate the tart 180° and blot off any excess moisture that has collected on top with a paper towel if necessary. Allow the tart to rest  about 5 minutes before slicing and serv