Rustic Tomato and Ricotta Tart

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Delicious heirloom tomatoes top creamy, baked ricotta in this Rustic Tomato and Ricotta Tart. You WILL want to make this all summer.

I saw a picture of a tomato tart.  So, of course I had to make a tomato tart.  But, what kind of tomato tart?  Do I make a puff pastry based one?  A pizza style crusted one?  A pie crusted one?  Decisions decisions.

I think I can immediately rule out the pie crust one.  I’m not sure I can sell the hubs on that type of #MeatlessMonday dinner.  Unless it’s like a pot pie or something like that; I’m sure he’d give me that look when I served up a dinner in a pie crust.  It’s not that he’s a picky eater.  No.  He just has it in his head that certain things will not taste good for certain meals of the day.  I’m sure he’s not the only one.  Since I’ve served up a meal in puff pastry before, I knew he was okay with that type of crust.  

Going with the puff pastry meant I was going to waste one.  I always waste one because I cannot seem to get the first one to work out right.  I think I have finally gotten the technique down and may (or may not) waste the next one I used.  But, I am very glad I used the puff pastry crust.  Nothing else would have tasted as good.

And let me tell you that this?  This dish here?  It tasted AMAZING!  I know.  I say that a lot, but honestly, hand to God, hands down, this was amazing.  I wanted to go half-sies with the hubs it was THAT good.    I’m usually the one that’s cutting the smaller piece and saying, “No, I really can’t eat that much.”  Not this time, dear readers!  This time, I probably could have wolfed down half and still wanted more.

I bought some heirloom tomatoes.  I’ve never purchased heirlooms before.  They tasted like tomatoes.  I don’t know what I was expecting.  I thought maybe they would taste more like tomatoes and regular tomatoes?  But since it’s such a growing food trend that I thought I should at least try it and see what all the fuss was about.  I’m sure it has to do with the non-GMO seeds or something along the lines, but there are just some trends that I’m Switzerland with; neutral.

They did look purdy, though!  And they were nice and ripe, and juicy.  I had to squeeze a little juice out so they didn’t completely soak the crust; but not too much.  You still want them to have some moisture to them when you put them on top of the ricotta mix.  Besides, I don’t know about you, but I love the whole broiled/charred tomato effect you with the tomatoes in fajitas.  I was kind of hoping they’d do a little of that, but they didn’t. And that’s okay.  They were still fabulous.

See what I mean?  They still look and taste fabulous!  Especially since I sprinkled some cheese on top of the whole thing and that got all browned and crusty good.  They were little pieces of crunchy heaven on top of the tender tomatoes that were hiding the creamy ricotta cheese.

Yes, my very observant readers, the crust did get a little extra crisp in parts.  Those are the pieces that I cut off and reattached elsewhere to try to extend the crust a little bit.  I knew the filling would more than likely extend beyond the crust and I just needed a little bit more to prevent that from happening.  Next time, I may wrap it in foil at first and then remove the foil when it’s closer to being done.  Just an idea I had…  But in all honesty it didn’t detract from the taste of this tart.

See how pretty it looks?  This truly could be a guest worthy meal.  If you slice it into smaller pieces you could make this a nice appetizer for any meal.  Slice it thicker, add a side salad, and some good bread and it’s perfectly light dinner for summer on the back deck.  Skip the salad, roast some asparagus, and serve it for brunch.  The possibilities are, well, not really endless but you get the idea.

And it has such stage presence.  You could get heirlooms in different colors and dress it all even more.  You could pick smaller tomatoes or even some grape tomatoes.  Change up the cheese on top.  There are so many possibilities in tomatoes out there that this could look different every single time you make it and your guests might not know the difference.

Now you that ricotta is not just for lasagna and cannoli any more.  Actually, if you saw my post from a few days ago, you’ll know that it can be for ice cream, too.  I KNOW!!  How insane is that?  So, there’s lasagna, cannoli, ice cream, and this tart!  I’m sure there are others that I just haven’t figure out yet.  When I do, I’ll keep you posted.

If you’re like, you can eat it straight out of the container in some fruit.  I could just eat it straight out of the container.  I love the creamy and rich flavor of ricotta cheese.  One of these days I’ll make some, but that’s for a different post.  The ricotta in this recipe is super creamy and smooth.  The flavors of the herbs mixed with the ricotta and other cheese makes the filling luscious and rich with very few ingredients.  I’d even bet you have all but the puff pastry (well, you may have that too) in your kitchen and could whip this up.

I think that’s the best illustration of the “stage presence” I was referring to earlier.  It is oh so pretty you almost don’t want to slice it up.  Then you realize how amazing it’s going to taste and you dig right in!!  And this also gives you an idea of how changing up the tomatoes could truly make it a different tart to serve up to your guests or your family.

What’s your favorite way to use farm fresh tomatoes?

#FarmersMarket Friday Recipes

Avocot Salad with Raspberries by Palatable Pastime
Cashew Vegetable Fried Rice by Red Cottage Chronicles
Grilled Basil Chicken & Tomatoes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Rustic Tomato and Ricotta Tart by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures