I really love tomatoes, especially in the summer when they are so sweet and ripe. I end up overdoing it at the farmer's market and always buy too many. I had seen a gorgeous tomato and ricotta tart and was inspired to make my own. Use any savory pastry crust you like. I used one that had rye flour in it but a store-bought pie crust would work as well. This is pretty quick to make since the baking and prep time is short. Try out this recipe for your Labor Day BBQ and let me know how it turns out in the comments!
Tomato Ricotta Tart
Makes 6 servings
2 Cups ricotta, whole milk
½ Cup parmesan cheese, grated finely
1 pie crust
2-3 medium size heirloom tomatoes, or 1 pint of sun gold tomatoes
Kosher salt
Pepper
Fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, parsley, or chives)
Maldon salt
Set your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out your pie crust to ¼” thick and prepare your pie tin or tart pan with a circle of parchment paper at the bottom to avoid the crust from sticking. Add your pie crust and trim the edges. I used a glass pyrex pie dish and trimmed the crust so it would have no overhang at all. Take a fork and prick the bottom of the pie crust in 6-8 spots. This allows steam to release while it’s cooking in the oven. Add another layer of parchment paper on top of the crust and add pie weights. I used a big jar of dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes at 400, then lower to 375F until it’s golden brown and cooked through. This usually takes another 15-20 minutes or so depending on your crust. Once the crust is finished cooking, remove it from the tin and place it on a cooling rack.
In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork and taste. This is your opportunity to add other ingredients if you would like such as lemon zest or dried herbs. I left mine as is. Slice your tomatoes ¼” thick. When the crust has cooled completely, layer the ricotta and smooth out with a spatula or back of a spoon. Then layer the tomatoes decoratively and season with finishing salt and chopped fresh herbs before serving. Serve this the day you assemble it for best results. If you want to prepare the tart the day before, blind bake the crust and make the ricotta mixture and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to layer and serve. At peak tomato season this is a real crowd pleaser and perfect for your vegetarian friends.
