Dressing Up Tomato Tarts

Recipes are sort of like outfits. The good ones bring together elements that enhance each other through a play of similarity and contrast so that the sum is greater than its parts. The bad ones fail because their elements either bore or clash...nothing to remember or something to forget. I find it's usually an accessory or two that pull an outfit together. A white sun dress is nice, but with a strand of thrift store wooden beads and a pair of skull-printed pointy flats, viola! That's gourmet dressing.

Good recipes tend to be well accessorized, too. A drizzle of fruity olive oil, a generous pinch of sea salt, a scattering of basil leaves...these are tried and true ways to freshen up many a dish, especially one made of a pastry crust filled with a cheese custard and topped with fresh tomatoes. I've done it before and I'd do it again. But I'm not sure I'd do it again any time soon without adding a certain accessory I picked up from Mr. Tyler Florence. Orange zest. And not just a little. A whole orange's worth. I never knew it before, but orange zest and tomatoes make a chic ensemble.

And then there's the roasted garlic, which permeates the ricotta filling. So, this ensemble is really garlic, orange, and tomato--a trio I never would have put together on my own, but now I'll never forget it. Roasting and squeezing out the garlic adds an extra step to an already involved recipe (where making and par-baking individual tart crusts = involved), but it would be a real shame to leave it out. The tart crust, by the way, is simple, but excellent--tender, crisp, a flaky container that won't go out of date or clash with its contents. Resist the temptation to add more ice water to the dough ... just pulse for a few more seconds without worrying too much about the dough becoming tough. It won't.

These tarts, paired with a light salad, make for a substantial first course, and might do better for a vegetarian main course. They would be lovely for brunch, and by fiddling a little with the baking time they would be quite nice transformed into mini-muffin sized hors d'oeuvres. The crusts can be par-baked in advance; the filling and topping come together quickly.

Ricotta Tartlets with Orange-Zested Tomato Salad
Adapted from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen. Makes 4 4-inch individual tarts.


For crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 egg, separated
1 tablespoon ice water

1. Pulse flour, salt and sugar together in food processor. Put in chunks of butter, and pulse just until dough resembles cornmeal. Add egg yolk and ice water; pulse again for a a few seconds until dough comes together.

2. Lightly dust counter with flour. Dump dough out and form into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and let rest and chill in refrigerator 30 minutes or overnight. Cut dough into four pieces and flatten each one into a disk. Keep remaining disks under plastic as your form each crust.

3. Using a rolling pin, roll out one disk of dough on a on a lightly floured surface to a 6-inch circle. Roll dough onto pin and lay inside a 4-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press edges into sides of pan, and fold excess dough inside edges. Repeat with remaining dough disks. At this point, tart shells may be wrapped in plastic and frozen for later use. If baking immediately, refrigerate shells for 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick bottom of shells with a fork. Lay a piece of foil on bottom of tart shells and fill with 1/4 cup dried beans. Bake tart shells for 20 minutes. Lift out beans in foil, and return tart shells to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

5. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush bottom and sides of pastry with egg glaze to seal any tiny holes. Tart shell is ready for filling.


For ricotta filling:
1 head roasted garlic*
4 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of skins into a large bowl. Beat in eggs and ricotta and Parmesan cheeses; season with salt and pepper.

2. Place tart shells on a cookie sheet. Pour egg mixture into shells, filling 3/4 full. Carefully transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Tart should still jiggle slightly in center; it will set up as it cools.

*To roast a head of garlic, cut off the top (pointy) part so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and roast in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let head cool down enough to handle, and then squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves.

For orange-zested tomato topping:
3/4 pound small, ripe tomatoes, cut into halves
5 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Peel of 1 orange, finely grated
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, orange peel, and basil (reserving a bit for garnish). Drizzle with a little oil; season with salt and pepper and fold everything together.

2. Once cool enough to handle, carefully lift tarts out of rings and slide tarts off bases onto plates. Spoon some of tomato salad onto each tart. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with reserved basil.