Goat Cheese Stars with Pesto and Sun-Blushed Tomatoes
Recipe courtesy of Christmas at the Palace: A Cookbook by Carolyn Robb (Weldon Owen, 2022); Photo: John Kernick
- Flour, for the work surface
- ¾ lb puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions if frozen
- 3.5 oz fresh goat cheese
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ¼ cup sun-blushed (semi-dried) tomatoes in olive oil, drained and finely diced
- Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
These can be made in a flash and they will disappear equally fast! You can try many different fillings, but these are particularly colorful and festive.
On a lightly floured work surface, unroll the sheet of pastry. Using a 2¾-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 24 stars. Carefully transfer each star to a cup in a mini-muffin pan, pressing it gently against the bottom and extending the points up the sides to form a tartlet shell. Spoon a generous ½ tsp of the cheese onto the bottom of each tartlet shell. Chill for 20 minutes. While the pastry is chilling, preheat the oven to 400 F.
Bake the pastry until golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon about 1 tsp pesto into 12 of the pastry shells, then divide the tomatoes evenly among the remaining shells. Arrange on a platter, scatter the basil around the stars and serve immediately. Makes 24 stars.