Soft Savory Tart with Pesto: The Original Christmas Appetizer
A few days ago, while seeking inspiration for some savory recipes to serve as appetizers for Christmas, I stumbled upon this beautiful idea by Gabriella Geroni! It immediately seemed very scenic and original compared to the usual ready-made puff pastry proposals.
Sure, I’ll use puff pastry for other Christmas preparations, but I liked the idea of something more sophisticated without spending too many hours in the kitchen. And this soft savory tart recipe is just the right compromise I was looking for!
A Pesto-Flavored Dough
This is a soft savory tart enhanced by adding a few tablespoons of pesto to the dough. In my case, I used homemade rocket pesto!
You can use, as in the original recipe, some good basil pesto or omit this addition entirely, but I advise against it: the aroma really makes a difference!
This tart will be perfect for those who want to enrich a holiday buffet or a table setting, and it’s also very easy to make and fill.
The Versatility of the Clever Mold
Given the success, I’ve already thought of proposing it for Christmas Eve, in a vegetarian style (without salmon). The beauty of this recipe is its versatility: you can adapt the fillings to the dietary needs of your diners.
The only “obstacle” to prepare this delight, I tell you, is the type of mold. You will need a clever mold, a tool that creates a perfect cavity, ideal for containing our most imaginative and appetizing fillings!
Try it because you will fall in love with it!
In anticipation of the holidays, if like me you focus everything on appetizers to enrich your table, let yourself be inspired by these recipes too:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: about 8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or type 00)
- 1/2 cup water (or unsweetened plant-based milk)
- 1/3 cup peanut oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup rocket pesto
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast for savory preparations
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 125 g squacquerone
- 125 g stracchino
- 1 tablespoon plant-based milk
- 3 oz smoked salmon
- 7 date tomatoes
- 3 cherry tomatoes (yellow optional)
- 4 olives (mixed)
- 1 oz pistachio crumbs
- to taste rocket
Tools:
⚠THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra! Thank you!
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Mold clever mold
- 1 Plate
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Sieve
Steps:
In a large bowl, beat the room temperature eggs with the electric whisk for about 2 minutes.
You should achieve a light and fluffy mixture, then add the grated Parmesan.
Also incorporate the oil and room temperature water (or plant-based milk if preferred).
Add a pinch of salt.
Turn on the whisk again, adding gradually the sifted flour and yeast.
Finally, add the pesto, in my case homemade, but you can omit it if you wish, it’s absolutely optional.
Mix and transfer the batter into the pre-greased clever mold dusted with breadcrumbs.
Level and bake in a preheated oven at 338°F for 35 minutes, but always rely on the toothpick test before removing it from the oven, as the cooking time may vary significantly from oven to oven. Once cooked, turn off the oven and let it cool in its mold.
Once cooled, turn the mold over and transfer the tart to a serving dish.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a bowl, mix the squacquerone and stracchino with 1-2 tablespoons of plant-based milk until you get a slightly less dense and more workable cream.
Fill the tart by filling the groove to the edge and leveling with a spatula.
Garnish as you like. I followed Gabry’s recipe design, creating an additional color contrast with the yellow tomatoes in the center and the red ones at 4 sides, alternating the black olives with green, all previously pitted. In the center, I placed a salmon rose, cutting thin strips and overlapping them.
I finished with smaller salmon roses, pistachio crumbs to even out the more irregular border, and rocket leaves to be added just a few minutes before serving.
And voila… your soft savory tart with rocket pesto is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Preservation
👉 Once filled, you can keep the soft savory tart with rocket pesto for 2-3 days in the fridge, preferably inside a container with a lid, like those with a glass dome for pantry cakes, or alternatively, cover with food wrap without ruining the decoration. If you prepare it beforehand without filling it, you can store it at room temperature under a dome and then fill it the next day.
Tips, notes, variations, and advice
🔵 The alternatives in garnishing this tart, as I mentioned, are really many! Instead of stracchino and squacquerone, for example, you can use sweet gorgonzola, robiola, or other soft cheeses like ricotta, crescenza, etc.; regarding smoked salmon, you can alternatively use cooked ham, cured ham, salami, or mortadella, bresaola, etc.; for a completely vegetarian version, I recommend seasonal vegetables, such as lightly blanched or grilled broccoli or cauliflower tops, which pair beautifully with these fresh cheeses. But zucchinis, eggplants, always previously grilled, or oven-baked peppers will also be perfect. You’ll see how delicious!
