Zucchini, Tomato, and Ricotta Tart

In the 12 months since my last blog entry, I have been on 30 (yes THIRTY) trips, part work/part fun. Its been a whirlwind of crazy, yet semi-controlled, chaos these last 365+ days. As a result, I've spent a lot of time outside of my kitchen. But after a few requests, I've decided its time to resume posting. (Just not as frequently as I had before so that it remains fun and less like another job.)

So before I get into a new recipe, be sure to check out my new tab: Fitness! My caffeine, my pick me up, my personal therapy all comes in the form of exercise. Highlights from this summer: placing 2nd place in a smaller race and running my first half marathon! I've also joined an awesome bootcamp that I've guest blogged about - so be sure to check it out this new tab to keep up with the fitness fun. It should get interesting as I like to try new things!

And now on to why I am brining the blog back! I have dozens and dozens of recipes clipped in folders, tagged in cookbooks/magazines and even a recipe tag in my email. I love recipes and I love testing them out. So after a friend and I stumbled upon a "pick your own" farm a few weeks back, I had alot of tomatoes and zucchini to experiment with. Off to the recipe reserves I went and selected a fancy looking zucchini, tomato and ricotta tart. I'd always wanted to make it but feared promising it for a weekend brunch in the event it was an epic fail! I was pleasantly surprised that this recipe was simpler than I thought (heck, I made it after I had completed a 7.5 mile run one Sunday morning so you know it had to be non-intense!). The end result was delicious....I was glad I was the taste tester for this one as I wanted it all for myself!

Zucchini, Tomato, and Ricotta Tart

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen, June 21, 2011

Ingredients

8 ounces plum tomatoes (2 to 3), cored and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), trimmed and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 1 ounce)
1 recipe Easy Press-In Olive Oil Tart Crust, baked and cooled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Spread the tomatoes and zucchini over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the vegetables dry with more paper towels before using.

Combine 1 teaspoon of the oil and garlic in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining teaspoon oil, ricotta, and mozzarella together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Shingle the zucchini and tomatoes in concentric circles on top of the ricotta. Drizzle the vegetables with the garlic-oil mixture.

Bake the tart on a baking sheet until the cheese is bubbling and the vegetables are slightly wilted, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tart cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

To serve, slide a thin metal spatula between the tart and the tart pan bottom, and carefully slide the tart onto a platter or cutting board. (Or simply cut it while in the pan.) Sprinkle with the basil, cut into 6 slices, and serve.

Note: I don't own a tart pan so I used a pie baking dish and it worked just as well!

In case you missed it above, the recipe can be found here.