Made with a flaky buttery crust, creamy full-flavored cheddar, and delicious farmers’ market finds…this Heirloom Tomato, Pesto & Cheddar Crostata has summer written all over it!
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Kerrygold® and Martha Stewart Living. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Ciao Chow Bambina possible.
Ahhhh summer….with its blooming gardens, melodious cicada quartets, and fresh-from-the-farm heirloom tomatoes – I am hard pressed to find a time that feels more bountiful. Or more delicious.
How do you eat your tomatoes? Sliced with a little flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper? Sandwiched between two slices of soft white and a hefty smear of good mayo? Cooked down with fresh herbs, melted onions and minced garlic for a tasty marinara?
How about baked in a crostata with basil pesto and rich, creamy, and slightly sweet Kerrygold® Skellig Cheese. Kerrygold® Cheeses, made with milk from grass-fed cows that graze on the lush pastures of Ireland (please take a moment and picture those gorgeous pastures…), are great for melting, crumbling or eating straight from a cheeseboard (or the package, but now I’m letting you in on my little secret). With its tiny crunch and sweet tangy flavor, this cheese is a must in our house.
Oh, crostata – how I love thee!
If you’re anything like I am then you enjoy (maybe even prefer) the kind of summertime cooking that includes rustic flavors and an unpolished appearance. In other words – no need for perfection. When I can use words like rustic and free-form and unpolished to describe my food – I’m in!
Crostata, Italy’s answer to France’s galette, can be sweet or savory. As long as you have a little flour, some chilled butter, ice water and a splash of milk – you’re halfway home. This dough comes together quickly and needs only a short spell of time to rest in the refrigerator. And while it’s resting, you can too. Or you can gather and prep your ingredients for the luscious filling. Also fun!
Today’s crostata is all about the layers:
- A thin layer of basil pesto, just enough to hint at its earthiness without overwhelming the other flavors.
- A generous layer of grated Kerrygold® Skellig Cheese in all its cheddar glory. Let’s face it – there’s no skimping on cheese when it’s as creamy and sweet as this is.
- Then finish with a few gorgeous rounds of sliced heirloom tomatoes.
I don’t know whether to look at it or eat it… I mean – how beautiful can one food be?
Once out of the oven, you’ll want the crostata to sit for a minute or two, just until room temperature.
Dress with fresh basil and a scattering of toasted pine nuts, then nothing left to do but enjoy.
This bountiful crostata, made with Kerrygold® Skellig Cheese is what summertime entertaining is all about.
Simple, delicious, seasonal, humble cooking.
Let Kerrygold® help you create summer meals worth remembering!
Buon Appetito!
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Heirloom Tomato, Pesto & Cheddar Crostata
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Made with a flaky buttery crust, creamy full-flavored cheddar, and delicious farmers’ market finds…this Heirloom Tomato, Pesto & Cheddar Crostata has summer written all over it!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups salted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. ice cold water
- 1/8 cup basil pesto (your favorite store-bought or CCB’s recipe)
- 1 1/2 cups Kerrygold® Skellig Cheese, shredded (plus 1 – 2 Tbsp. more for sprinkling)
- 6 – 8 thick slices of Heirloom tomatoes
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 – 3 Tbsp. milk
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, butter and water.
- Mix with your hands until everything is combined and the dough becomes one solid mass.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk.
- Wrap the disk with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator.
- Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet then roll the dough on the parchment to form a 12-inch circle.
- Leaving about 11/2 inches around the perimeter of the dough, spread the pesto over the dough.
- Next, scatter the shredded Kerrygold® Skellig cheese.
- Place the tomatoes on the cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Gently fold the border up and around the tomatoes, pleating to make a circle.
- Brush milk around the edges of the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
- Allow to sit.
- Serve at room temperature with toasted pine nuts, a sprinkle of shredded Kerrygold® Skellig and a few leaves of fresh basil.
CIAO!
My tomatoes have been doing so well this year, Annie – I am putting this on my must make list. Gorgeous and delicious – love the added flavor boost from the pesto!
That is the most rewarding, isn’t it?! I think you’re going to love it, my friend! 🙂
You got me wishing I could reach into my computer screen and gorge myself on this. I love a good crostata. I would love some big stunning heirloom tomatoes at the moment. We are knee deep in winter foods so all the summer foods are getting me jealous. Have a wonderful week x
I hear you! I crave heirlooms all year long! Thank you, my friend! xx
Oh yum! This pretty crostata is indeed a beautiful and summer dish! And I am loving the combination of heirloom tomato, pesto and cheddar. Thank you so much for this healthy and delicious recipe.
Thank you SO much for stopping by with a kind word! Have a nice weekend, my friend!
Oh Annie, this looks so delicious. This crostata is like a farmers market delight! Going to make this for my next bbq as an appetizer. Loved the tossed nuts.
Ahhh! Love that! Enjoy, my friend! 🙂
Seriously, this is the most beautiful tart ever!! I love Kerrygold butter, but I haven’t tried their cheese yet… This looks like the perfect way to enjoy it!
Kerrygold is the best! If you love their butter – you will love their cheese! Thanks, Sues!
That is gorgeous! Look at those colors, and the flavors!! Yes, this is what summer is all about. And me too, I’m all for the rustic looks with a lot of flavors. I’d so want a slice right now, you’re making me hungry!!
I achieved my goal! 😉 Wish I could share one with you!! Thanks, my friend!
Pinned! Kerrygold Skellig on the radar for next shopping trip and love the recipe for crostata dough. We have so many tomatoes this summer, will come in handy soon, I am sure of it!
Oh yes! You won’t regret it!! This is a very special cheese! Thanks, friend!
looks so pretty and I bet tastes delicious too! sounds like the perfect summer dish!
So fresh and delicious! Thank you, Manali! 🙂
How do I eat my summer fresh tomatoes? Any which way I can get ’em, Annie! And right now I’m craving them in the form of this absolutely STUNNING crostata!! Talk about heavenly delicious! I am seriously drooling, my friend! Pinning to try immediately! Cheers, sweets! XOXO
Isn’t that the truth! Good answer! Thank you so much, my friend! And thank you for the share! Happy Thursday! XOXO
What a gorgeous tart! Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite. This would make a fantastic lunch or dinner!
I could eat them all the time! 😉 Thanks, Gayle!
This crostata is one of my favorite things about summer Annie! I absolutely adore summer tomatoes! You’ve done a beautiful job showcasing them! And that Kerrygold cheese!! Perfect!
Crostatas make me very happy – especially when filled with such exciting ingredients! Thank you, friend!
Rustic food is unbeatable in the summer :). This is so gorgeous! I can practically taste those beautiful tomatoes. Add some pesto and some cheese and it’s dinner perfection!
No better time to make tomatoes the star…and the Skellig Cheese takes it over the top! Thanks, dear!
Wow Annie! Now this is how to do summer! I love my tomatoes anyway! But in this crostata they are extra special! Take care.
Oh yessss – this is how to do summer! Thank you, my friend! 🙂
This Crostata looks amazing! Love Kerrygold products. Pinning to try it!
Having the opportunity to sing Kerrygold’s praises made me very happy! It’s an incredible line of cheeses and butter! Thanks, Mira!
This makes me so happy! Love food like this, Annie!! Everything about it just speaks to me. How perfect would this be with a glass of vino and sitting back on the deck…you know where I’m going with this. Rustic food is my fave….no fuss and just plain delicious. Wish I had this for lunch right now. Pinning and trying soon. Have a wonderful weekend, sweet! XOXO
That’s exactly how we enjoyed it! With a glass of red on the patio! Now I’m wishing I had it for lunch now, too! 😉 Thank you, my dear! Have a wonderful weekend!! XOXO
Oh my goodness! This is indeed a perfect summer dish! I love everything about it…now I just need to wait until my tomatoes ripen!
Summer with every bite! I think you’re gonna love it! 🙂
Oh, my! The colors are gorgeous and it would take no time at all for me to dig into that beauty. The two different tomato really gives the dish that pop!! I’m pinning and making it ASAP!
Heirloom tomatoes are a work of art! Thank you, my friend! Enjoy!
This is super healthy and delicious food. I am going to prepare lunch in half hour or so. And this is what I am going to prepare.Thanks Annie for sharing this and making my day easy and definitely my loved ones are going to enjoy this.
That makes me happy! Enjoy, my friend! Thank you!! 🙂