Tomato Aubergine Ricotta Tart

I made this recipe last summer … reposting because it got lost in the move … plus it’s nice right now to remind myself there is such a thing as summer, with all the late April snow & ice we’ve had. The beautiful colors in this post bring me cheer and hope.

I dreamed of this tart for days but I was too busy to make it … I could picture it in my mind: a lovely summer tart filled with garlic and herb-infused Ricotta and Asiago cheeses, topped with rows of beautifully overlapping garden fresh tomato and tender little purple eggplant slices. Finally I could not stand it any longer. I had to make it. It was nearing twilight, so I rushed to finish it in time to have enough light to photograph it. I was using these lovely little purple eggplant from mom’s garden and some of those little tomatoes that pretty perfectly matched the diameter of the eggplant.

It turned out beautiful …  but the cornmeal crust I had thought would be so good was just awful (re-confirming my irrational fear of pie crust). It looked perfectly lovely … I tried eating it, but ended up eating the topping and leaving the crust … I stuck the tart in the fridge overnight while I considered what to do … the next night I went and bought some puff pastry at the store, scraped the topping off the old crust, roasted some more eggplant and re-made the tart, again rushing to beat the impending darkness. This time, it turned out MUCH better, taste-wise, but not quite as pretty. I had used up all the tomatoes that matched the size of the eggplant so I couldn’t get that perfect layered effect. I used one of the darker Japanese eggplant in hopes that it would match the size of the larger tomatoes, but it didn’t at all. And this tart was square, not round. I don’t think I allowed the puff pastry enough time to thaw because the crust really wasn’t as puffy as it should have been. But despite all that, it tasted oh so wonderful. Almost as good as my dream tart.

Tomato & Eggplant Ricotta Tart

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 1 tart 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Crust:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry (or a pie crust would work if you are not afraid of such things like me)

For the Topping:

• About 2 small, tender eggplant
• Several small tomatoes (with a diameter that roughly matches the eggplant)

For the Filling:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese + a few extra tablespoons for the top
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• Several sprigs of fresh tarragon and basil, chopped

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Instructions

1. Thaw your puff pastry or prepare the pie crust.
2. Slice the eggplant thinly (about 1/8 inch thick) and place on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and dust with Red Robin Seasoning or your favorite seasoned salt. Bake eggplant at 350 for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant slices are tender. (These little tender eggplant don’t require any peeling or salting.)
3. While the eggplant is cooking, slice the tomatoes thinly and set them aside.
4. Mix the ricotta, asiago, garlic and about half of the chopped herbs.
5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay out the puff pastry (or place the pie crust in your tart pan). Spread the ricotta filling almost to the edge of the crust, then arrange alternating layers of the eggplant and tomato slices on top. If you are using puff pastry, roll up the edge of the pastry just a bit and pinch the corners. Sprinkle with a little asiago cheese and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so or until the pastry has browned on the edges and the cheese is all melted.
6. Sprinkle with the rest of the fresh herbs. Slice and serve immediately.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This recipe was shared at Try a New Recipe Tuesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Tasty Thursday, Thursday’s Treasures, Full Plate Thursday and All my Bloggy Friends.