Pesto and Sundried Tomato Torta

Easy and impressive for a party.

Pesto Layer
Fresh basil - I use 2 boxes from Trader Joes 
Set aside a few pretty leaves for garnish.
Wash and dry it, use only the leaves and tenderest stems, throw the thicker stems into the compost.
About 8 (+) large cloves of Fresh Garlic - just whack it with a knife to peel it.
Good quality Olive oil I like Monte Pollino from Trader Joe's
About 1cup of pine nuts. Use 1/2 in the pesto and 1/2 for garnish.
About a cup of shredded parmesan cheese.

Put the basil and garlic in a food processor turn it on. 
Drizzle in about a 1/2-3/4 cup of the olive oil. 
Add in the cheese and pine nuts and process till it's well mixed.

Sundried Tomato Layer
Put the pesto in a bowl, clean out your food processor and put in it:
1 jar of sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (I love Trader Joes)
Process untill the big pieces are pretty little.

Cheese Layer
For the larger torta (about a quart) I use 2- 8oz packages of cream cheese
and 1 stick (unsalted) butter
For the pint sized, use just 8oz. and 1/2 a stick of butter
I whip them together with the mixer.  You can mix by hand but the Kitchen Aid
makes for a lighter texture that's easier to work with.

Assembly
Take your pint/quart container and line it with plastic wrap. 
If you don't line it, you'll never get it out.

Begin layering. Try not to splash any on the sides as you layer up.  It muddies the layers.
Start with a couple of spoons of pesto in the bottom. 
Add a layer of cheese.
The easiest way to layer the cheese is to do it by hand with COLD, CLEAN fingers,
mold a big spoonful of the cheese to a flat disk.  You want to have the cheese all the
way to the edge to seal the layer.
Now spoon on the minced sundried tomatoes.
Now another layer of cheese.
Now another layer of pesto.
Another layer of cheese.
Another layer of tomato.
And so on.  Each layer should be about 1/2 an inch thick.
The final layer should be cheese.

Fold the plastic wrap over the top and refridgerate at least overnight.
I usually make mine 2 or 3 days before the party.
NOTE:  It will not be pretty.  The orange oil from the tomatoes will look like
it's running into every layer but do not dispair! All will be well.

To serve:
Pull plastic wrap away from the top and over the sides exposing the torta.
Invert your serving plate onto the container then turn the whole thing over.
gently work the container off and pull away the plastic wrap.

Garnish with the basil leaves and pour the rest of the pine nuts over the top.