Heirloom Tomato And Ricotta Tart Recipe
Every summer, we hoard as many heirloom tomatoes as we can afford from the market. The next challenge is finding new beautiful summery dishes to use them up in (although sliced on toast with a pinch of salt is great, too). After exhausting the possibilities, our obsession of the moment is this heirloom tomato tart: A rich crust laced with Gruyère cheese holds a creamy, herbed ricotta filling and fresh sliced tomatoes. It's as pretty as it is tasty.
We give only a weight for the amount of tomatoes in this recipe, because we want you play around with summer's bounty and try tomatoes of different colors and sizes. We love throwing in a handful of heirloom cherry tomatoes, too.
To learn more, read "Veg Out."
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
- For the crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup ice water
- For the filling
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 egg
- pinch red pepper flakes
- kosher salt, to taste
- For assembly
- 1 pound heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- flakey sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- basil and mint leaves, for garnish
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cheese and salt. Add the butter, tossing with your fingers to smash each piece into the flour. Stir in the water and knead until a dough forms.
- Transfer to a generously floured work surface and roll into a 14-inch round. Brush off the excess flour and drape the round over an 11-inch tart pan, making sure the dough is flush with the pan. Press a rolling pin across the top of the tart pan to trim any excess dough. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: In a food processor, purée all the filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
- Dock the dough by poking it all over with the tines of a fork. Line the dough with foil and fill with baking beans or pie weights. Bake until puffed and lightly golden along the edges, 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil, and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is lightly golden, 10 minutes more. Remove and let cool.
- Assemble the tart: Pour the filling into the tart shell and smooth with an offset spatula. Layer the tomatoes in a concentric circle over the filling. Drizzle with olive oil and honey, then season the tomatoes with flake salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are wilted and the filling is set, 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Garnish with basil and mint leaves, then slice and serve.