These savory cheese tartlets are the perfect appetizer for all your holiday festivities. The delicious blend of nutty BelGioioso® Parmesan Cheese and mildly sweet BelGioioso® Fresh Mozzarella Cheese creates a soft texture and creamy flavor in the tartlet crust, resulting in a buttery, cheesy base for the sweet heat of the jam. A final topping of mozzarella adds an irresistibly melty finish.
Savory Cheese Tartlets with Spicy Tomato Jam
Ingredients
Jam:
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (108 grams) chopped yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons (20 grams) chopped seeded jalapeño (optional)
- 1½ pounds (681 grams) plum tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons (3 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground black pepper
Crust:
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (47 grams) grated BelGioioso® Parmesan Cheese
- ½ cup (65 grams) shredded BelGioioso® Baking Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 large egg yolk (19 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (2 grams) minced fresh rosemary (optional)
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground black pepper
- 1¼ cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces (56 grams) BelGioioso® Baking Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, torn into small pieces
Instructions
- For jam: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeño (if using); cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, sugars, 1 teaspoon (3 grams) salt, red pepper, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring and mashing tomatoes every 5 minutes, until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Let come to room temperature before using.
- Lightly spray 14 (¾-inch-tall) 2½-inch round fluted tartlet pans with baking spray with flour; place prepared pans on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- For crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, egg yolk, rosemary (if using), salt, and black pepper, beating until combined and stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, beating until a smooth dough forms and is no longer crumbly, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Using a 1½-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop dough (about 28 grams each), and press into bottom and up sides of prepared tartlet pans. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Gently press down the center of each crust. Fill each crust with about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) jam; top with torn mozzarella. Bake until the jam is warm and the cheese is melted, 8 to 12 minutes more. Best served immediately.
- Pro Tip: If you don’t have tartlet pans, you can also use a muffin pan. Fill mini muffin cups with 1 tablespoon (16 grams) tart crust dough and 1½ teaspoons (8 grams) jam and bake for about 15 minutes, or fill regular muffin cups with 2 tablespoons (41 grams) dough and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) jam and bake for about 20 minutes.
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