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Cheaters Tomato and Ricotta Tart

Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 basil leaves, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped a little
  • 1 454gram/1 pound box or bag of puff pastry, thawed*
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Kosher salt for sprinkling
  • 3 large tomatoes, heirloom if possible, you will need 9 or 10 ½-inch thick slices
  • About ½ to ¾ cup full fat ricotta cheese
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 12 small basil leaves, left whole
  • Flaked sea salt

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, minced basil and garlic.  Let this sit as long as possible, sometimes I will let this sit all day.
  • Place a cookie sheet in the oven on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 375˚F (with the cookie sheet in it).
  • Unwrap the puff pastry and unfold it as best as you can.  Roll it out to be the size of a cookie sheet, I do this on a lightly floured parchment paper.  If you have a second cookie sheet, the same size as the one in the oven, place the rolled out pastry on the parchment on that second sheet.  This will give you a surface to work on.  Roll the edges over so that you form a crust, now the rectangle will be smaller than the sheet.
  • Brush the rolled crust with some of the beaten egg.  Brush the bottom of the pastry with some of the garlic basil oil, leaving the garlic behind.  Sprinkle with salt.
  • Lay the tomato slices on the pastry, leaving room between each one.  Dollop tablespoons of ricotta throughout and around the tomato slices.
  • Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.
  • REMOVE the heated cookie sheet from the oven and TRANSFER the parchment with the tart onto the hot sheet.  Place in the oven on the bottom rack.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and the tomatoes have shrunken and coloured.  Cook a little longer if the centre of the tart has liquid pooling.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil leaves. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing.