Ricotta And Tomato Tarts

Last Sunday I invited my whole family over for lunch. I love spending time with them, and lunch on Sunday is a fun leisurely activity we can all enjoy together, and lets be honest… anything that involves food is always a good time in my family. I had picked up some lovely heirloom tomatoes the day before at a local farmers market, so I decided to make the tomato the star of the show for our lunch and that is how these delicious, simple and fresh ricotta and tomato tarts were created. This recipe is so simple and the finished product is so beautiful with all the colourful tomatoes showcased on a light, crispy, puff pastry base. I served these tarts with an arugula salad, dressed in my favourite Dijon and sherry vinaigrette, the two are a match made in food heaven.

For the tarts:

▪ 2 sheets of store bought puff pastry (cut into 8 pieces), I bought mine at whole foods.
▪ 4 heirloom tomatos
▪ 1&1/2 cups of ricotta cheese
▪ 2 tbsp lemo zest
▪ 2tbsp fresh thyme
▪ 2 cloves garlic finely minced
▪ 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
▪ 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
▪ salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

▪ 1 pack of baby arugula (about 6 cups worth)
▪ 1/2 cup basil leaves roughly chopped

For the dressing:

▪ 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
▪ 2 tbsp honey (can substitute with maple syrup or agave nectar)
▪ 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
▪ 1/2 cup olive or avocado oil
▪ salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

▪ Thaw out puff pastry and cut each sheet into four equal pieces, making eight large pieces total ( you can cut pieces smaller for an appetizer size, this would make 12 smaller tarts). Pierce puff pastry dough with fork (docking the dough) and bake in oven at 400 until slightly golden.
▪ Slice tomatoes in any shape and set aside, I made wedges by slicing the tomatoes in half an then on a bias.
▪ In a large mixing bowl place ricotta cheese, lemon zest, garlic, fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, basil, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are combined, don’t forget to taste mixture to ensure you have used enough salt, ricotta does not have a lot of salt to begin with, so you will need to ensure the mixture is properly seasoned.
▪ Place a large spoonful of ricotta mixture on your partially cooked puff pastry base, adding your sliced heirloom (or regular) tomatoes on top. Bake for another 10 minutes until tomatoes and cheese are warm and slightly cooked, and puff pastry is golden and crisp on the bottom and around the edges.
▪ Finally, in a large bowl add arugula and basil. In a mason jar or mixing bowl place all the vinaigrette ingredients and mix thoroughly until combined. Dress salad lightly, seasoning with salt if needed.
▪ I topped my ricotta and tomato tarts with fresh thyme and flaked sea salt, and served a generous amount of salad with it. Enjoy!