Tomato, thyme and ricotta tart
- Published: 12 Oct 18
- Updated: 26 Apr 24
The secret with this beauty is to bake the case the night before so it’s only 10 minutes’ work to finish it off before everyone can dig in.
Ingredients
- 250g pack ricotta
- 80g ricotta salata, grated (see Know-how) or pecorino
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp freshly picked thyme leaves, plus extra to serve
- Grated zest ½ lemon
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- Few pinches smoked sea salt flakes (or regular sea salt flakes)
- 650g mixed tomatoes; you’ll need 4 large tomatoes for the first layer
- Handful small fresh basil leaves
For the pastry
- 200g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 100g chilled butter, cubed
- 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water
You’ll also need…
- Deep 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
Method
- For the pastry, whizz the flour with the salt, a good grinding of black pepper and the thyme in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mix starts to look like breadcrumbs. Add 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water and pulse again until the mixture comes together to form a ball. (Or rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips, then add the water and mix with a wooden spoon.) Tip out onto a large sheet of cling film, wrap, then chill for 30 minutes (see Make Ahead).
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a roughly 28cm circle the thickness of £1 coin. Lift up the pastry with the flour-dusted rolling pin, drape into the tart tin and gently press to line the edges. Trim any excess pastry, leaving a small overhang proud of the tin. Rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
- Prick the pastry base all over with a fork, line with a piece of scrunched baking paper or foil, then fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges feel firm, then remove the paper/foil and beans/rice and bake for 6-8 minutes more until the pastry is golden and sandy to the touch. Set aside on a wire rack to cool fully in the tin (see Make Ahead).
- When you’re ready to serve, beat together both ricottas in a mixing bowl with 1 tsp of the olive oil, the honey, thyme, lemon zest, black pepper and 2-3 pinches of smoked sea salt. Remove the pastry case from its tin and put on a serving plate. Spoon in the ricotta mixture and level using the back of a spoon. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top, starting with the larger ones, then layering the smaller ones on top. Drizzle with the rest of the oil, then finish with salt and pepper and the extra thyme and basil leaves.
- Recipe from July 2018 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 368kcals
- Fat
- 22.2g (12.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 9.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 31.5g (5.7g sugars)
- Fibre
- 2.7g
- Salt
- 0.8g
delicious. tips
Assemble this beautiful tart like a pro with our video…
Make the pastry and chill, well wrapped, in the fridge a day ahead. The baked tart case will keep somewhere cool for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film
Make the pastry and chill, well wrapped, in the fridge a day ahead. The baked tart case will keep somewhere cool for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film
Tomatoes make a happy marriage with sauvignon blanc – chill a crisp French one from Sancerre.
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