11 March 2013

Tomato & Ricotta Tart


This last weekend in Toronto was sunny, warm and you can almost believe that spring had finally arrived.  To celebrate the end of a long, cold and snowy winter, I wanted to prepare a dish for lunch that would be fresh, light and would taste like summer.  I found these beautiful cherry tomatoes at the market and knew that whatever I would prepare, the cherry tomatoes would play an important role.

I had found a great recipe for a quick leek and ricotta pie a few months back.  I tweaked the recipe and created a delicious tomato & ricotta tart!  Serve with a quick and simple salad, it was the perfect lunch for a perfect weekend!

You can prepare your own puff pastry but I use store bought;  it's already rolled out to the perfect size and frankly it probably tastes better than if I made it myself...


 Tomato & Ricotta Tart
Yields 4 portions

Ingredients
§  ½ pound cherry tomatoes
§  ½ teaspoon kosher salt
§  1 cup ricotta
§  1 egg, lightly beaten
§  ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
§  2 tablespoons heavy cream
§  a pinch of ground nutmeg
§  ½ teaspoon salt
§  Freshly ground black pepper
§  1 cup finely shredded arugula
§  1 egg yoke, beaten
§  1 sheet of puff pastry

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Slice the tomatoes and place them in a colander.
Sprinkle them with salt and leave to drain 15-20 minutes.
Roll out the puff pastry into a square or rectangle.
With the tip of a knife, cut a gutter around ½ inch from the edge of the pastry.  You don’t want to cut through the dough; simply create a deep cut to allow the edges of the pastry to rise.


In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, cream, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Stir in the arugula
Place this mixture in the centre of the dough, and spread the filling without covering the gutter you made.
Arrange the tomato slices over the top of the filling.
Brush the pastry with the egg yolk.


Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.
Serve sprinkled with a bit more Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. 



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