Tomato pizzettes

If you're looking for a variation on the familiar pizza for game day, these cute little tarts mix it up a bit, without being too unfamiliar.

Tomato tartlettes
Adapted from rothcheese.com

Ingredients
3 to 5 medium-size tomatoes (err on the shorter side, since you want them to fit easily on the pastry)
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed (overnight in the fridge works best for ease of working with it, but in a pinch you can thaw it on the counter for about 35-40 minutes)
2 tablespoons oil
1 chopped garlic clove, optional

1 ½ cup shredded Gouda cheese

1 small bunch basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons

Balsamic glaze, optional

Method

Slice tomatoes about 3/8-inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and lay on paper towels.

Heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. (If you're not using the garlic, there's no need to heat the oil so you can skip this step. But it kicks it up a flavor notch.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

On a lightly floured board, roll puff pastry sheet into a square. Cut into 12 squares. Transfer to prepared sheet.

Brush each square with garlic oil, leaving a narrow frame around the outside of each square. This untouched frame is what lets the pastry puff up around the toppings.

Top each square with about a tablespoon of grated cheese. Top with tomato.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed and golden. Top with basil and drizzle with balsamic glaze if desired.

Rating: Tasty and a quick fix. While you could prepare everything but the tomato and basil slices in advance, you could also nip into the kitchen and whip these up when there's a lull in the action. There's always a lull.