Ricotta and Tomato Tart

I have been waiting for tomatoes to come in season! We are very lucky that we can get tomatoes in the grocery store any time of the year, but summertime is for heirloom tomatoes. I love to use fresh tomatoes when they are in season because they are mildly acidic with bright flavor. Like we needed another reason to love summer. When I was at the farmer’s market the farmer said the tomatoes are just starting to come into season here in Southern California, so if you are in a cooler state you may have a little bit of a wait.  If you can’t wait to make this Ricotta and Tomato Tart, then you can definitely use store-bought tomatoes!

Tomatoes, basil, and balsamic are a perfect combination! Usually you see them together with mozzarella in a caprese salad, but I wanted to change it up a bit. I decided to use ricotta because it’s creaminess is the perfect foundation for all of these huge flavors.  I also love traditional balsamic, but lately I have been using white balsamic.  It’s not as syrupy and sweet as the traditional balsamic, but I like the pop that it adds.  I have been using it on salads lately and really like it!  This idea of a tart came to mind because I like to have puff pastry in my freezer.  I also like to have pizza crust in my freezer so you can really use this recipe on either one you like! Puff pastry just seems fancier. Speaking of fancy, arugula is a nice peppery topping on this tart, but if you like spinach you could use that instead.  The greens on the top of the tart not only make it look pretty, but add that last bit of crunch that finishes off the fresh flavors.

Quick tip: Using a serrated knife to cut the tomatoes can be helpful if you don’t have an extremely sharp knife.

Ricotta and Tomato Tart

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Ingredients

• 1 pint small heirloom tomatoes; you can use any tomatoes you like!

• 2 tablespoons basil; torn or chiffonade

• white or regular balsamic (I like either one); about 1-2 tablespoons

• olive oil; about 1 tablespoon

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta; it helps if its close to room temperature

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 sheet puff pastry or pizza crust

• 2 cups fresh arugula; you can use fresh spinach as a substitute

Instructions

1. *Place the puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

2. *Bake according the package instructions

3. *Allow to cool

4. *In a bowl combine the ricotta and lemon juice; add some salt and pepper to taste

5. *Spread the ricotta over the puff pastry; it will be easier to spread if it’s not extremely cold

6. *Thinly slice the tomatoes and place them into a bowl; Using a serrated knife will help with this

7. *Toss with basil and a little bit of olive oil

8. *Pour the tomatoes over the ricotta on the puff pastry

9. *Drizzle some balsamic over the tomatoes

10. *Place the arugula over the tomatoes; drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt

11. *It helps to cut this with a pizza cutter!