Mark Hix recipe: Tomato tart

Serves 4

Sea Spinach and mushroom tart (left) and tomato tart (Jason Lowe)

Sun-dried tomatoes were completely overused in the 1990s, but they shouldn't be disregarded - in a dish like this, where they are blended into a smooth paste with a little oil, they give the tarts a nice intensity.

4 butter puff pastry rectangles, rolled to 3-4mm and cut to about 8x10cm
50g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
4 medium ripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crumb topping

20g fresh white breadcrumbs
20g grated Parmesan
½tbsp chopped parsley
15g butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor with enough of the oil to form a smooth paste. Dock the pastry with a fork to prevent it rising in the oven, place on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Mix all the topping ingredients together, and put to one side. Spread a layer of the sun-dried tomato paste on each tart, then cut each tomato into 5 or 6 slices and arrange on top.

Season, then brush a little of the sun-dried tomato oil over the tomatoes and bake for about 10 minutes; then scatter the crumb mixture over the top and return to the oven for a couple of minutes; serve immediately.