Entrees

Mixed Vegetable and Ricotta Tart

Yield: 1 tart, about 8 servings

Mixed Vegetable and Ricotta Tart

Yield: 1 tart, about 8 servings

This tart is almost too beautiful to eat. It can easily be the centerpiece of a brunch table or be a lovely lunch or dinner when paired with a salad. Be sure to cut all vegetables so they fit into the large feed tube horizontally to achieve the longest slices possible.

Nutritional information per serving:Calories 326 (60% from fat)
carb. 24g
pro. 9g
fat 22g
sat. fat 12g
chol. 77mg
sod. 399mg calc. 224mg
fiber 3g

Ingredients

  • Dough:
    Half recipe Pâte BriséeVegetables:
  • 1medium sweet potato, peeled, halved
    width-wise and cut to fit the feed tube
    ¼medium butternut squash, peeled
    1medium to large beet, peeled and cut
    to fit the feed tube
    1medium leek, trimmed and cut to fit
    the feed tube
    4medium rainbow carrots, peeled and
    cut to fit the feed tube
    ¼cup halved grape tomatoes
    2tablespoons olive oil
    pinch kosher salt
    pinch freshly ground black pepper
    Filling:
    2ounces Gruyère
    1garlic clove, peeled
    1cup ricotta, drained if ricotta
    is especially wet
    1large egg
    pinch freshly ground black pepper
    ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
    olive oil, for brushing
    kosher salt, for sprinkling

Preparation

  1. 1. Roll out the pâte brisée so that it’s between ¹⁄8-inch and ¼-inch thick. Fit into a 9- to 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill for a minimum of 1 hour in the refrigerator (or 30 minutes in the freezer).
  2. 2. While the dough is chilling, prepare the vegetables. Preheat an oven to 425°F with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Insert the medium slicing disc into the work bowl of the food processor. Slice all of the vegetables, except for the tomato halves, on High, by laying them horizontally in the large feed tube to achieve the longest slices. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and divide the vegetables evenly among the two pans (put the leeks and carrots on one pan, and the other vegetables on the other). Toss gently with a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch each of the salt and pepper per pan of vegetables. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until just tender. The carrots and leeks will take 10 minutes to cook and the others about 20. Remove and allow to cool.
  3. 3. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Dock the edges of the tart shell with the tines of a fork (you want to make indentations but not fully go through to the bottom). Line the chilled tart shell with parchment paper or foil and then weigh it down with pie weights (or dried rice or beans). Put the shell into the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottom is no longer wet. Carefully remove the parchment/foil and weights and return to the oven until the edges of the crust are just browning. Remove and reserve.
  4. 4. While the dough is baking, prepare the ricotta filling. Remove the slicing disc and replace with the fine shredding disc. Shred the Gruyère on High. Keep the Gruyère in the bowl and replace the shredding disc with the chopping blade. With the unit running on High, drop the garlic into the work bowl through the feed tube and process until finely chopped. Add the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Pulse a few times to combine and process on Low until just combined.
  5. 5. Transfer the ricotta mixture to the baked tart shell and then top with the roasted vegetables and halved tomatoes by making a decorative spiral pattern: a method that works well by starting in the middle by making a tight spiral with one of the vegetables and then wrapping the vegetables one by one around it until it fits the entire tart. Brush the top with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
  6. 6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and put the prepared tart on the oven rack in the lower third position. Bake for 15 minutes to fully cook through the ricotta mixture. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with additional olive oil.