Heirloom Tomato, Ricotta & Basil Pesto Tart
There are three things I love about Spring – mangoes, tomatoes and basil. While officially Summer produce, I love seeing these three things start to pop up in the markets in late Spring.
You might be wondering what makes a tomato “heirloom”, and this simply means the seeds have been passed down from grower to grower. What I love about them is their uniqueness in shape, flavour, texture and colour. They aren’t trying to all be uniform to look exactly the same as their friends, and that is what makes them so beautiful – a metaphor for life you may say.
Ideally, you want to get these at organic grocers or a good farmers market to ensure they are actually good quality. Not all tomato varieties will be great, but in this recipe since it is built off of the natural sweet juicy tomatoes without any cooking or crazy additions, we need good ones!
This recipe is best made to serve, however you can prepare both the pesto and cooked base in advance, so when your guests come over all you need to do is spend 10 minutes assembling it and lunch (or afternoon tea) is on the table. You can also use any pesto you like!
Heirloom Tomato, Ricotta & Basil Pesto Tart
A show stopping savoury tart that celebrates heirloom tomatoes and my signature buttery gluten free base.
Serves:
10
Prep time:
2 hours
Cook time:
30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup smooth ricotta
- 3 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Base
- 4 cups almond meal
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 200g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
Pesto
- 1 bunch basil, leaves and stems
- 1 bunch parsley, leaves and stems
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Generous pinch of salt and pepper
METHOD
- To make the base dough, combine all ingredients in a bowl until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the dough firm up.
- Grease your tart tin with butter.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to 1cm thick. This is best done between two sheets of baking paper to ensure it doesn’t stick to the surface. Roll to slightly larger than the size of your tin, peel one side of baking paper and carefully flip the pastry onto the tart. You want to be gentle here to avoid tearing. Carefully nudge the dough into the corners of the tin and remove the baking paper. Continue to gently press the dough into the tin, ensuring there are no gaps. If any tears happen, you can simply patch them up with excess dough.
- Use the sides of the tin to slice off the excess dough. Prick with a fork - this helps steam escape when baking.
- Place in the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to 180ºC. Then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until nice and golden. Leave to cool completely.
- To make the pesto, simply blend all ingredients together until blended. I personally like mine, still a little chunky and not blended to oblivion – a few pulses does the trick, just watch out for big chunks of garlic or stems of herbs. Depending on your blender or food processor you may need to add extra oil.
- Prepare the tart by spreading a layer of pesto on to the base. Top with ricotta, spreading carefully. Carefully place tomatoes on top. Top with salt and pepper, and a drizzle of pesto. Enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe can be made with either a rectangle or round tart tin. You will likely have some leftover dough, simply wrap in plastic and freeze.
- You can use any pesto you like, and even use a store bought option to speed up the process.
About Liv
I’m a holistic nutritionist (BSc) and healthy chef and I’m obsessed with waking up every day happy to be alive and excited for the day ahead, and eating incredible nourishing food!
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