Reviewed: Oct. 12, 2009

this was a BIG hit!! everyone loved it! Great presentation, great taste! I always read the reviews before I make a recipe, they always help! I used the recipe for pesto from this site that uses walnuts instead of pine nuts, it was very good!! Definitely a keeper!

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Bakrldy

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Reviewed: Sep. 25, 2009

thanks for this recipe, the only thing I didn't like was the sun-dried tomatoes. I had never used sun-dried tomatoes before. I don't like the texture of them. The left over tort I placed the layers on flour tortilla shell rolled then sliced.

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SANDY98

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Gadsden, Alabama, USA

Living In: Albertville, Alabama, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 13, 2009

This dish was quick and easy to make... and while I'm not a fan of Italian food, this was great stuff. It was a hit @ the italian themed dinner party too!

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EdV

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Reviewed: Aug. 22, 2009

This is delicious, beautiful, and easy. I suggest using half the pesto though, because the full 8 oz. would be overpowering, I think. Follow the rest of the directions exactly and the end results are phenomenal and just a beautiful presentation. I used a 1 qt. faberware bowl and got a lovely dome with a small diameter, which sat very nicely within a ring of crackers. I did use a food processor to chop the sun dried tomatoes. A pie spatula with a serrated edge makes a great serving tool for this. One of my guests was so overwhelmed by this appetizer, she didn't want to eat any dinner! and everyone else loved it too. I wouldn' t halve it like others have suggested because you're going to want the leftovers.

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MrsPinky

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jul. 20, 2009

Update - The first time I made the torte I followed the directions exactly and it was a very nice presentation. Then I got lazy . . . I processed the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor until finely chopped, added the cream cheese and minced garlic and blended the ingredients. I spread the cream cheese mixture on a large plate, topped it with the pesto and a shredded Italian cheese blend. EASY and still delicious!

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ebnewman05

Home Town: Champaign, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 22, 2009

This is an excellent appetizer with a flavor that belies the amount of time that goes into making it. I used mini spring form pans and made three small tortes. Served with crisp crostini, it was absolutely delicious. This would be a great appetizer to serve at an appetizer only party, as it is quite filling. I noticed that some people used sun dried tomatoes in oil and I am very glad that I did not. The clean taste of the tomatoes was a great contrast to the oily pesto. I will definitely serve this again.

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cookin'mama

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Living In: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 1, 2009

I made this for the 1st time for a party Friday night. The recipe was super easy. I didn't have cheesecloth so I went with another reviewers comments & used saran wrap with paper towels. You have to have the paper towels; I didn't realize how oily pesto is. I only used about 4oz of pesto & thought it was plenty. I knew I didn't have time to refrigerate the torte, so I left the cream cheese out about 10-15 minutes to soften & made the torte just before the party. I rolled up into a ball & served immediately. The recipe made plenty. I cut the ball in half. I put half out with (store bought) pita chips and the other half in the refigerator. We only ate the half I put out so I ended up with left overs! The torte was also good with tortilla chips & wheat thins. Next time I am going to make pita chips in the oven.

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melissac

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Reviewed: May 28, 2009

Love this recipe! This may be the only time I ever say add just one clove of garlic. I am a garlic-aholic and put in several ... I have to say it may have been a tad too much! other than that I used my medium square pampered chef bowl and it looked great! I sprinkled fresh parsley around (I hate cilantro)and a little paprika for color! I have also used several blades of chives tied in a bunch also looked great!! BTW I have also substituted roasted red peppers for tomatoes and it was yummy!

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Paprikasgirl

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Reviewed: Mar. 24, 2009

I just put the torte in the fridge, but I layered the left-over ingredients on crackers and they tasted absolutely AMAZING. Using my little brother's exact words, it tastes like "a party in my mouth". Update: I just served this at a party with bagutte slices and it was gone by the end. I would make this again. Fast but impressive.

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RALWATTAR

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Dublin, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 22, 2009

A big hit and the perfect starter for our Italian dinner last night.

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bonniekn

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Reviewed: Feb. 8, 2009

This is a 5+ recipe. After serving it to friends as an appetizer, my husband declared, "it's more than a do over; it needs to be a refridgerator staple". That says it all.

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kk

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Reviewed: Jan. 31, 2009

this was amazing, the hit of the party! The flavors blended so well together, I am sure I added more than 3 oz of the tomatoes, but just eyeballed that part so it would be enough for both layers. After plating it I wish I had bought an extra slice of the provolone to make some sort of design for the top before I started the layering, seemed kinda naked on the top.

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Koriekiss

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Upland, California, USA

Living In: Bakersfield, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 27, 2009

My first attempt ended in disaster as I knocked the large glass bowl I was using to mold the torte into fell from my kitchen island onto the ceramic tile...there was no rescuing it from the broken glass. I did have enough of the ingredients reserved for a mini-version and was pleased it came out so nicely. I have since just made it again and used paper towels placed on plastic cling wrap in lieu of cheesecloth and it worked fine. I also put it in the freezer for one hour rather than 3 hours in the fridge with an excellent outcome. This is one of those dishes that everyone keeps coming back for more!

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Capn Matt

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jan. 25, 2009

This was a HUGE hit! I had an italian themed dinner party and I made this as an appetizer. I wanted to make crostini to go with it, but with everything else going on, I didn't have time so we settled with wheat thins crackers. Delicious! I did not have cheesecloth and I tried the coffee filter thing as another reviewer had tried. I found the filter helped get this out of the pan but once I inverted it onto a plate I just covered it with a paper towel and changed the towel every so often as needed. It did a great job soaking up the oils. I halved the recipe and put this in a mini loaf pan for the mold. I'm sure this will be requested again!

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bizzymomma

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

Living In: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2008

I am giving this a 5 because everyone at the party I brought it to raved about it. I did like it but I eat these ingredients a lot so it wasn't so "new" to me. I used marinated sundried tomatoes because I had them in my cupboard and since I didn't have cheesecloth, I dampened coffee filters and lined the pan with them. They worked quite well. I wasn't sure how the provolone top and bottom would work or look and it worked and looked just fine. I did cut the torte in half when I put it on the serving platter so people could see the ingredients and the colors. I thought a cheese spreader would do the trick but decided to put a sharp knife out so people could make nice, clean slices. Thanks for the recipe and adding to my stash of "yummy" treats.

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teni

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Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2008

The presentation was beautiful -- it was so tasty. I have had the recipe as cited at a brunch, and I made it substituting roasted red peppers for the sundried tomatoes. Both were totally delish. I followed a previous suggestion, added some fat free half and half and served it over penne pasta the next night.

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Miko's Chef

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hampton, Virginia, USA

Living In: Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2007

This is ALWAYS a hit at any gathering! I have sent this recipe out a dozen times this holiday season! No one will be disappointed. The only thing I do different is to put the sundried tomatoes in the food process for easier chopping. Enjoy!

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MKM

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Kansas City, Kansas, USA

Living In: Queens, New York, USA

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Reviewed: May 12, 2007

I changed this up a little. I took 1 block of cream cheese and mixed it with sun dried tomato pesto (store bought). I put the cream cheese/pesto mixture into a small loaf pan and layered with goat cheese. I baked it for about 20 minutes and then put it in the refrigerator. We ate it cold from the refrigerator on wheat things. very good and used stuff I had on hand!

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Brooke789

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Reviewed: Jan. 11, 2006

I loved this, but then I love pesto anything. I used a roasted red pepper/olive tapenade instead of the sun-dried tomatoes, since that's what I had. Served with crostini and crackers. I made a red pepper and parsley leaf "flower" in the bottom of the bowl before I started layering. Pretty impressive to guests.

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