This recipe is from my friend Elizabeth Heiskell—with a bit of extra heat added and a mixture of cheeses for the crust.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup white cheddar cheese
¾ cup pepper jack cheese
½ cup ice water, plus more if needed
2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crumbled feta cheese or shaved Parmesan cheese Pulse flour, salt, red pepper, and Tabasco in bowl of a food processor until mixture just holds together. Add butter, pulsing a couple more times until mixture is crumbly. Add cheeses and pulse again. With processor running, gradually add ice water until dough comes together and forms a ball. Divide dough in half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Press each ball to form a disk. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
While dough is chilling, toss together tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and let stand for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to marry. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll one disk on a lightly floured board to about ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2½-inch round cutter, cut dough into 12 circles, retooling as needed. Press each round into cups of a lightly greased mini-muffin pan, letting dough come up sides of each cup. Repeat process with remaining dough. Spoon tomato mixture into each cup. Bake tartlets for 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese crust is golden. Remove pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Sprinkle each tartlet with either of cheeses and serve.
Yield: 24 tartlets