Feta Cheese & Dried Tomato Puff Pastry Tartlets

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Big surprises come in small packages.

I love making small snacks. Especially during Ramadan, I like to have assorted pastries that are ready to heat and have anytime (particularly good to have for a ready Sohour meal). After fasting all day, one cannot eat big portions, and offering smaller size bites is always good as one gets to have a variety of delicious flavours.

These little feta cheese and oven dried tomato tartlets will brighten up your appetisers buffet, and offer a very light and fresh bite. Thanks to the puff pastry crunch that is unmatched. These are also a perfect option for Suhoor gatherings, as again people can’t really eat much after having a full Iftar. It is summer and these are just the perfect little treats for this hot weather. Not only for Ramadan, but you can also serve these fabulous treats in pass around cocktail parties if you make them even smaller (the size to fit one tomato), or as an amuse bouche at your dinner parties. Finally they are the perfect light lunch if paired with a good leafy green salad and an equally good Vinaigrette (try the Lemon & Honey Salad Dressing on this link, or the Reduced Pomegranate Salad Dressing on this link)

I have also included for you a video for making puff pastry at home. I chose this video because the classic French way of making puff pastry is quite time consuming and will require some practice to perfect. This recipe and method in the video produce the same results in no time and works for all skill levels! Super easy, you can now make your own puff pastry and have it!

Ingredients

  • 1 packet frozen puff pastry squares, thawed (or homemade puff pastry)
  • 250g Feta Cheese, cubed or crumbled
  • 2 tbsp DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 jar oven-dried tomatoes (recipe on this link)
  • 1 small jar DS Organic Pickled Zaatar
  • some fresh sprigs of thyme
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp Nigella Seeds
  • 2 tbsps Sesame seeds

Thaw the pastry if using frozen.

Preheat your oven to 350F – 180C.

Mix the nigella seeds and sesame seeds together and set aside.

Lightly grease 4 small pie plates or oven proof bowls. Sprinkle the bottom and side with the nigella and sesame seeds. Set aside.

If using frozen pastry, then roll out the square sheets on a lightly floured surface to stretch them enough to cover the bottom of your pie plate and some of the sides too. (If making your own pastry then roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a pizza cutter cut out 4 disks of the dough big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your pie plate.)

Place the dough in the pie plate and prick with a fork across the bottom. Spread some of the pickled zaatar over the base of each pastry disk, top with cubed or crumbled feta cheese and a few sliced of the oven dried tomatoes then sprinkle more of the pickled zaatar on top. Drizzle all with olive oil and sprinkle some freshly cracked black pepper on top too. Place a sprig of thyme over each disk and slightly tuck the pastry in from the sides.

Cover the sides of the pie plates with foil paper, making sure that the centre is exposed. This avoids over browning of the pastry as it bakes. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and slightly browned at the bottom. Remove the foil paper then bake for an extra 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Allow the tartlets to cool slightly in the pie plates, then remove to cool on the wire racks. Serve warm or cold.

Ramadan Mubarak

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