Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart

Cherry tomato Ricotta Tart: crunchy from the pie crust, creamy from the ricotta,  sweet and juicy from the cherry tomatoes. This trio is a match made in heaven.

Rain, rain, and more rain.

It's raining incessantly here in Edmonton. It has been the wettest summer I can remember. It has rained every day, even on those sunny warm days when you thought, well, maybe today is going to be dry. We also had buckets of hail, and serious thunder and lightning show. They say that when it gets too hot during the day, the humidity rises and inevitably leads to storms in the afternoon and/or at night. I don't know if I'm fully convinced by this explanation because in Rome we're used to having hot & humid days, weeks, sometimes a whole month, without seeing a drop of rain. The days start sunny and warm, gets more sunny and hot and ends dry and warm. I said that I liked summer storms in this post here, but not that often and not that much. Loreto this morning said he was going to buy some lumber and start building an arc in the backyard. I cannot not agree 🙂 .

I don't mind turning on the oven,  even in the summer. I love baking way too much to stop. But with this kind of weather, it felt good to create a hearty, comforting dish, like this Ricotta Cherry Tomato Tart, with organic colorful tomatoes bought at our local farmer's market, and a creamy, velvety ricotta.  Look at those colors, aren't they vibrant, lively and cheerful? They were able to make me forget all the grey out there. The flavor is a mirror of that reflection: bright, fresh, sweet.

I made my own pastry but you could easily use a store bought pie crust and save some time. I am lucky because when I'm here in Edmonton  I don't work, other than cultivating the blog, so that gives me time to play with flour, which makes me happy. The recipe for the pie dough I got from another great cookbook I brought home from the Edmonton public library: Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimée Wimbush Bourque. It is a pie dough similar to the French pate brisée, easy to make with a food processor or stand mixer. The egg yolk makes the dough rich and golden, the lemon juice helps break down the gluten making a more tender dough. If you let the dough rest in the fridge for a day, it will save you some time and will result in a more tender and flaky dough. The recipe makes for 2 pie crusts, so you will have another one ready in the freezer next time you're craving a Pie Day. I already know what I will do with mine: hand pies.???? But that's for another time.

Let's start making this Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart

You can use cherry tomatoes, that is what I had, or also heirloom tomatoes, they would look gorgeous here. I would have put more tomatoes on top of the ricotta but I ran out, so if you can, try making your tart top looks fuller. I dressed them in extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper,  basil, oregano and a tablespoon of balsamic cream. As for the ricotta, I just blended it with a couple tablespoons of grated Grana Padano to enhance the flavor.

Take the pie dough out of the fridge half hour before rolling it out and then place it on a buttered 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the base surface with a fork, spread evenly with the ricotta mixture and lastly arrange the halved cherry tomatoes on top. Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly wrinkled and charred and the pastry has turned a nice golden brown.

Your Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart will be just perfect with a side salad. That's how we had ours.

The crust is golden brown and flaky, with nice hints of butter and so tender, melt in your mouth. The ricotta is like velvet on your tongue, creamy, smooth, providing a great backdrop for the beautifully roasted cherry tomatoes with their rich, sweet and savory flavor. A truly enjoyable supper, this Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart, that can also be a delightful appetizer if you're entertaining.

Buon Appetito!

Song of the day "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons. If you've never heard about this British rock band this is your chance. We love them, been twice to their concerts. Superb!

Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart

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Cherry tomato Ricotta Tart: crunchy from the pie crust, creamy from the ricotta,  sweet and juicy from the cherry tomatoes. This trio is a match made in heaven.

• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: makes 1 (9-inch/23 cm) cherry tomato ricotta tart 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Basic all butter tart crust:

• 6 Tbsp (90 ml) ice cold water
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
• 3 cups (750 ml) all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) raw can sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1 cup (250 ml; 2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes

Topping:

• 250 ml ricotta
• 2 Tbsp grated grana padano (or parmigiano)
• about 50 cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste

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Instructions

For the tart crust:

1. Pour water into a measuring cup and drop in the egg yolk. Add lemon juice and beat with a fork. Drop an ice cube to chill the liquid while you prep the flour and butter.
2. In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse about 5 times to cut the butter into the flour. Butter should be in pea-sized pieces.
3. Drizzle the ice water mixture through the feed tube and pulse about 10 times until liquid is incorporated and the dough forms a ball. It it's too hard, and the ball is not forming, drizzle in a tablespoon or two of cold water.
4. Empty the content of the mixer onto the counter and divide into 2 piles. Press the damp crumbs together to form 2 disks of dough 6 inches (15 cm) across. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

For the Tart:

1. When the pastry has rested, roll out on a clean well floured work surface using a rolling pin, until you have a large round which will fit a 9-inch (23 cm) tart tin with a removable base and is about 5 mm in thickness.
2. Transfer the pastry to the tart tin and cut off any loose edges. Prick the base surface with a fork and then spread with ricotta mixture.
3. Place the halved tomatoes on top and bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly wrinkled and charred and the pastry has turned a nice golden brown.
4. Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving. It is great served with a side salad.

Notes

You can freeze the other pie crust, wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer 6 to 8 hours before using. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling.

• Author: Nicoletta
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Vegetarian
• Method: Baking

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Some more vegetarian ideas for you! If you like phyllo pastry, or you have it in your fridge or freezer and don't know what to make with it, try this amazing:

TOMATO, ZUCCHINI AND LEEK GALETTE WITH HERB RICOTTA

If you have store bought puff pastry, you can make these easy, stunning and delicious:

TOMATO GOAT CHEESE TARTLETS

or this tasty:

MUSHROOM, LEEK, GOUDA PUFF PASTRY TART

Enjoy!

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Nicoletta

I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.