pronto - ricotta and cherry tomato tart

Last summer I was talking to my friend Jenny and we were discussing how difficult it is to find things to make for dinner when it's summer. It's too hot to make our usual stand-by casseroles and roasts but salads just don't fill me up and stir-fries do pall after a while.

I was looking through the Donna Hay 2008 seasonal diary and came across a recipe for ricotta and cherry tomato tarts. I adapted it slightly to produce what you see here.



As the recipe is so simple, it relies on the best and freshest ingredients you can buy. I used Careme all butter puff pastry and my favourite low fat ricotta cheese from Paesanella.



The recipe is below but I think of it more of a suggestion than a recipe. I'm sure you could use other vegetables like par cooked asparagus or thinly sliced zucchini with a different flavoured pesto or olive tapenade.



Ricotta and Cherry Tomato Tarts

Ingredients
375 gram packet all butter puff pastry
300 gm low fat ricotta
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt and pepper
2-4 tablespoons tomato pesto
12 cherry truss tomatoes
Olive oil spray


Method

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF
• Line a tray with baking paper.
• Combine the ricotta, parmesan cheese and the finely chopped oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut the puff pastry in half along the wide side.
• Score a border 1 cm in from the edge taking care not to cut all the way through the pastry. Repeat with the second pastry half.
• Prick the pastry bases all over with a fork and spread half the tomato pesto over each base.
• Gently cover the pesto with the half the ricotta mixture, keeping within the scored edges. Repeat with the second base.
• Spray the cherry truss tomatoes with olive oil spray and season. Top each of the tarts with 6 truss cherry tomatoes.
• Place the tarts onto the prepared baking tray then bake in the preheated oven for ~ 45 minutes or until the tarts are puffed and golden brown.

Serves 4 for lunch or 2 hungry people for dinner.


See you all again next week,


Jillian