Tomato Ricotta Tart
If the words Tomato Ricotta Tart sound vaguely familiar, they should. In June I wrote about a Zucchini Ricotta Tart when I was experiencing the strong, intense flush of love for the first zucchini of the season. Now it’s August and I never want to see another zucchini again in my life. My fickle affection has now turned to tomatoes and I’ve adapted the original recipe to now officially become The Tomato Ricotta Tart.
This is good news (and not surprising) since I have a mountain of tomatoes to get through.
The Tomato Ricotta Tart is pretty much the same as the zucchini one, except for a few small, but important, changes. The biggest change is of course NO zucchini. Instead use slices of the ripest, best tomatoes you can find. Cherry tomatoes, cut in half, also work, or a mix is not only delicious but awful pretty.
Also no goat cheese. I like the sweetness of the ricotta and add extra parmigiano because parmigiano always goes with tomatoes. I am still loving the addition of both mascarpone and yogurt, but if you don’t have them, that’s ok, just use more ricotta.
And when tomato season wanes? Of course I’m already thinking kale and pumpkin!
Tomato Ricotta Tart
Yield 4-6
This is a spin on a Zucchini Tart I made earlier in the season. Although the recipe calls for mascarpone and yogurt, if you only have ricotta just go with that. The parmigiano is non-negotiable.
Ingredients
1 cup full fat ricotta (drained if very wet)
1/4 cup mascarpone
1/2 + 1/4 cup grated parmigiano
1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 – 3 slices tomatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves
1 package pre-made puff pastry (thawed out if frozen)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F/200C
In a medium bowl whisk together ricotta, mascarpone, 1/2 cup grated parmigiano, yogurt, egg, garlic, chopped basil and salt. Mix until smooth.
Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half.
Lay out the pastry onto a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife score a line around the rim, about a 1/2 inch in from the edge.
Spread the cheese mixture onto the pastry, within the scored rim. Artfully arrange the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter remaining 1/4 cup parmigiano on top. Drizzle with olive oil.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. The cheese and crust should be golden.
Take out of oven and let rest at least 20 minutes. It’s best at room temperature, which gives the cheese a chance to set. If you’d like, scatter some fresh herbs on top before serving.
For more recipes from Italy see my book The Italian Table.
And if you’d like to join me in Italy to eat and cook things like this tart, you can. I leave Week in Italy food tours in Umbria, Sicily, Puglia, Parma and Abruzzo. Find out more here.
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