This week, with New Years Eve firework displays coming up, Roy wanted to make somethng which would be tasty picnic fare. Roy needed something delicious, easy to make, filling and, most importantly, easy to transport. His Grandma suggested he try her ricotta tart. Although the recipe was torn out of some old magazine many years ago, Roys Grandma has adapted it quite a bit since then, and the results are delicious. So this week, Roy Creates Ricotta Tart.
You Will Need:
- 2 sheets of short crust pastry
- 500 grams of ricotta. Buy your ricotta fresh from the deli section if you can as it produces a better result
- 4 eggs
- ½ a cup of yoghurt. If you don’t like yoghurt you can use cream
- ¼ of a cup of grated parmesan
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- Optional: Roy put halved grape tomatoes on top of his tart to bake in the oven, but you can put a layer of pesto or tapenade under the ricotta mix, or other topping of your choice on top.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius and lightly spray a 26 centimetre flan tin with a removable base with cooking spray
- Gently press one sheet of pastry into the flan tin, as Roy is doing above
- Trim strips from the other piece of pastry and use these to make up the edges of the tart case where the sheet of pastry doesn’t reach. Dip your fingers in water and gently run them along the seams in the pastry to seal them
- Remove the excess pastry by gently pressing your fingers along the top of the flan tin and cutting the pastry off
- Put the pastry into the fridge for 30 minutes to rest
- Put a sheet of baking paper into the tart case and fill the pastry with weights. Don't forget the paper or the weights will bake into the pastry and you'll have trouble getting them out again. Roy has proper baking weights, but you can use dried rice or beans. If you use rice or beans put them in a jar for the next time - they don't cook like normal rice or beans after being roasted!
- Wrap the garlic cloves in a piece of foil. Put them into the oven with the pie crust
- Bake the tart for 10 minutes
- Remove the weights (Roy uses the baking paper to pick them up and puts them into a bowl to cool off) and bake the crust for a further 5 minutes. If the pastry has bubbled up gently press it down with a clean teatowel.
- Take the garlic out of the oven and squeeze the soft garlic into a bowl. Throw the skins away
- Add the ricotta, yoghurt, eggs and parmesan to the garlic and use electric beaters to combine the mix until it is smooth
- If you want to put pesto or tapenade under the ricotta, spread it over the tart case
- Pour the ricotta mix into the tart case and spread it out so it is fairly even
- If you are adding grape tomatoes, spread them over the ricotta mix as Roy is doing
- Bake the tart for 30 minutes or until the ricotta is set and lightly golden. If you have tomatoes on the tart they will go soft and slightly caramelised in the time
- This tart is lovely hot or cold. If you want to eat it fresh out of the oven, wait for 10 minutes for the ricotta to set (the top will sink), remove the tart from the tray and cut into wedges. Otherwise, allow the tart to cool in its tin and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.