Ricotta-Tomato Tart | Baking with Dorie

What can be better in the summer than tomato tarts? The variety of tomatoes you find in the farmers market are eye-popping and they are sweet and juicy. Add a bundle of fresh herbs and other seasonal vegetables (a mix of zucchini or onion or leek), the vibe is full-on summer fest. If that’s not enough, Dorie fills the tart with ricotta cream, which is soft and light in texture with a mild, milky flavor — not upstaging the tomatoes. Bring it all together; there you have it: the ricotta-tomato tart.

The bedrock of the tart is ricotta. This is how you make it:

Working in a large bowl, whisk the eggs (2), salt and pepper together until foamy. Add the ricotta (1 1/3cup), switch to a flexible spatula and beat to blend. Grate the zest of the lemon over the cheese and squeeze in a couple teaspoonfuls of juice (1 lemon), then add the olive oil (2 teaspoons) and give everything a good stir. Blend in the herbs (such as dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, cilantro and/or basil) and scallions. (The filling can be made to this point, covered and refrigerated overnight. If any liquid has accumulated, discard it.) ~ Baking with Dorie, page 321,

The tart shell is an all-purpose tart dough, partially baked and cooled ready for the fillings of tomatoes, veggies and ricotta cream. The dough comes together quicky in the food processor. In addition, it’s sturdy to shape in the tart pan and bake up nicely. The tart dough recipe can be found here. The tart shells are just as easy and quick to make, in my opinion, than going to the store for the ready-made dough.