As far as food goes there are few things more wonderful than tomato right off the vine in Summertime.  I really consider it one of life’s little pleasures don’t you?  In fact every year I plant a little Sunsugar tomato plant in my garden just for snacking on while I water.

Sadly due to the month of rain we had in May my tomatoes are a little slow to get started this year.  On a positive note I’ve usually had at least one battle with a Big Fat Green tomato cut worm, but this year I haven’t seen any (knock on wood).  It could be caused by all the rain.  Or it could be because we planted two new trees in the back yard by my garden and I’ve noticed quite a few Mockingbirds. (To the birds… Please eat all the cut worms, grasshoppers and all other bugs you see fit.  Just leave my blackberries alone). This year I also tried something a little different… I planted cilantro all around my tomato plants and I wondered if that had something to do with the lack of worms.  They say cilantro is one of those things you either Love it or Hate it… maybe the cut worms HATE cilantro?

So when I can’t get garden fresh tomatoes I LOVE these little red and yellow ones….. 

and you can ALWAYS find at least one package of these tomatoes on my kitchen counter because they taste good all year long. Even though the package of little yellow tomatoes says “sunburst” the variety is called Sunsugar… and yes they taste like candy.

While these tomatoes are wonderful right out of the package if you roast them with a little garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil they get even better.  You know I can’t make anything savory with out garlic.  Besides I SWEAR eating garlic keeps the mosquitos away and after all the rain we’ve had there are more mosquitos this year than I’ve seen in a LONG time.

Combine these sweet roasted tomatoes with a little creamy whipped ricotta cheese laced with lemon zest and served up in a flaky buttery tart shell then top with fresh basil…. Do I need to say more?

Summertime Whipped Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

1 Pie Crust (Perfect Pie Crust Recipe)

For the Roasted Tomatoes:

1 Cup Little Yellow Sunsugar Tomatoes, sliced in half

1 Cup Red Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half

1-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Fresh Basil

The Whipped Ricotta Filling:

1 1/4 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, at room temperature

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Zest of 1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out the pie crust and carefully press it into a 11×1 inch tart pan. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork then cover with a sheet aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray.  Then weight the pie down (I use dried beans) Blind bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the weights and foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Set aside to cool.

Toss the sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Roast the tomatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes then add the garlic to the pan and roast for an additional 5-7 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor and mix to combine.

Then with the machine running slowly stream in the extra virgin olive oil and process until airy and shiny, 1-2 minutes.

Smear the whipped ricotta in the bottom of the cooled tart shell….

And top with the roasted tomatoes….

And fresh basil…. if you tear the basil it will not bruise.

 

Enjoy!

P.S. I hosted a Baby Shower for my cousin this past Sunday and I made this Whipped Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Tart but in bite sized 🙂 along with lots of other goodies… Mom made her famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and we purchased the Cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes.

  

To make these mini tarts I purchased this mini tart baking set from Williams & Sonoma and it has become the most used pan in my kitchen over the last few weeks.  Making these tomato tarts, mini blackberry tarts, and a mini chicken fajita tarts…. Recipes all to come soon!