Summer tomatoes are essential to the success of this delicious make-ahead appetizer. The original recipe uses phyllo, with romano sprinkled between the thin layers, but it seems I never have phyllo when I have an abundance of tomatoes, whereas there's often a tube of pizza crust lurking in my fridge door. The tart travels well, tart is just as good at room temperature as warm, it's good for tailgating and other times when you don't want to be concerned about short-term refrigeration issues. A perfect side with soups or salads too. ,
Dry ( with paper towels) and slice about 5 Roma or other small very ripe plum tomatoes about 1/4" thick. The diameter of the tomatoes will determine how many pieces of tart you will have, and the size of the squares...somewhere between 20 and 25, probably. Preheat the oven to 375. Very lightly spray a 15" cookie sheet with sides, then stretch/pat a roll of refrigerated thin-style pizza crust into the pan and bake as directed, until it's crisp and golden. Cool, then spread with a thin layer of softened cream cheese. Plain is fine, or use a flavored version such as artichoke-spinach , or chive. The last time I made it. used a sundried tomato version that was good. Just don't get too heavily into the cream cheese- an 8 oz. tub is too much and the tomatoes will slide around.
Sprinkle the cream cheese layer with a small amount - let's say 2 tablespoons - of fresh chopped basil, 1/3 c. romano or parmesan cheese, and 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese. Arrange the tomato slices in rows for easy cutting. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil, 3 Tb more grated romano cheese.
Bake for about 7 minutes, just until the mozzarella layer has melted and the tomatoes are warm. Don't brown it, cook or overcook! Just get it warm to be sure the mozzarella has softened & will hold the tomatoes in position, so the tomatoes don't slide off when served. Sprinkle with a tiny bit more basil for color. Cool a bit and cut into squares.
Using freshly grated Pecorino or other fresh Romano or Parm makes a huge difference in flavor. If you must use the prepared cheese in the round green can, choose the shredded version rather than powdery type. Now and then I'll add some finely chopped prosciutto or thin shreds of hard salami between the cream cheese and mozzarella. A scant cup, max. Really. A little goes a long way. Using too much, or using thicker/bigger pieces of meat will make clean cuts difficult , messy, and result in unwanted grease... which will spoil this yummy dish.
