Fresh Tomato Ricotta Tart is a luscious creamy based tart topped with flavorful garden fresh tomatoes in a flaky puff pastry crust. It’s a snap to make and is an absolutely delicious way to use the bright red tomatoes from your garden. Pair it with a salad for a perfect light dinner during these hot summer days.
Ingredients for Fresh Tomato Ricotta Tart in Puff Pastry:
I used the following ingredients: Frozen puff pastry sheet, homemade Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil for garnish. You could use store-bought Ricotta cheese, but homemade is so much better and is so easy to make! I’ll tell you how.
Make Your Own Ricotta Cheese:
If you think that making your own Ricotta Cheese is difficult, think again. It uses four ingredients – Heavy cream, whole milk, Kosher salt, and white wine vinegar – and takes about 30 minutes. You could also use just whole milk in place of the cream and milk, and lemon juice in place of the white wine vinegar.
To start, you combine the cream, milk, and salt in a large pan, and bring it to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When it reaches a boil, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. After a minute, the acid in the vinegar causes the proteins in the cream/milk to coagulate, and creates what looks like a dairy version of scrambled eggs. If you remember Little Miss Muffet who sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey, it was the acid that caused the curds and whey to separate!
When the curds have formed pour the mixture into a cheesecloth lined wire strainer, and let it sit for 20 to 25 minutes. During this time, the whey drains off, and you’re left with an amazing homemade Ricotta Cheese that has a superior texture and taste to anything you can buy in he grocery store.
Preparing the Puff Pastry So That It Doesn’t Shrink During Cooking:
If not handled correctly, puff pastry like other pastries tends to shrink down the sides of your tart or pie pan during cooking. Three simple techniques will prevent this from occurring. First, put the pastry lined pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes before baking it. Second, after 30 minutes pierce the pastry all over with a fork and press a crumpled piece of parchment paper onto pastry. Then fill the pastry with dried beans or pastry weights up to the top. Third, bake the pastry in a hot oven (400° F) for about 25 minutes to set the sides and bottom. The result – perfect pastry every time!
Making the Fresh Tomato Ricotta Tart in Puff Pastry:
While the pastry was baking, I cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices. I placed the tomatoes on paper towels, sprinkled salt on the top, and let them sit for about 30 minutes. The reason for doing this was to remove excess moisture from the tomatoes. After 30 minutes, I blotted the tomatoes with additional paper towels.
While the tomatoes were sitting, I made the creamy Ricotta base. I combined the Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil in a bowl. Once the pastry and the tomatoes were ready, I spread the creamy Ricotta base on the bottom of the crust. Then, starting on the outside, I layered the tomatoes in overlapping circles over the filling. I continued the overlapping circles of tomatoes until the whole tart was covered. Finally, I drizzled some olive oil mixed with minced garlic on top.
I baked the tart in a preheated 375° F oven for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, the creamy Ricotta filling was bubbly and the tart was perfectly cooked. Before serving the tart, I sprinkled some fresh basil on top. I served it as a light dinner with a salad. It was absolutely delicious. Yum!
Fresh Tomato Ricotta Tart is a luscious creamy based tart topped with flavorful garden fresh tomatoes in a flaky puff pastry crust. It’s a snap to make and is an absolutely delicious way to use the bright red tomatoes from your garden. Pair it with a salad for a light dinner in these hot summer days.
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese homemade if possible (See Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil chopped for garnish
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
Roll puff pastry to 11-inch square on floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom; trim pastry. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Line pastry with crumpled parchment paper filled with dried beans or other pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes in preheated 400° F oven. Remove from oven; remove parchment paper and dried beans. Let cool 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice tomatoes 1/4-inch thick; spread the tomatoes out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Gently blot the tops of the tomatoes dry with paper towels before using.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic; set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, remaining clove minced garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil together.
- Reduce oven heat to 375° F.
Spread the Ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Shingle the tomatoes in overlapping circles on top of the Ricotta mixture. Drizzle the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the tomatoes.
- Bake the tart until the cheese is bubbling and the tomatoes are slightly wilted, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Allow the tart cool slightly on a wire rack for 5 minutes; sprinkle with the basil. Remove the tart from the tart pan and transfer to a serving platter or cutting board.
Yield: 6 servings.
- To make homemade Ricotta cheese, combine 4 cups of whole milk, 2 cups of heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt in a non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When the liquid reaches a boil, remove the pan from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Pour into a cheesecloth lined wire strainer and allow to drain for 20 to 25 minutes. Yield: 2 cups of Ricotta cheese.
Leave a Reply