Summer Squash, Ricotta & Lemon Thyme Tart
Jennifer Perillo
Photo by Penny De Los Santos
- Serves
- 6 to 8
This tart is the perfect warm-weather meal, and well worth turning on the oven to make even when the temperatures begin to climb. You can make it a few hours ahead, and serve at room temperature. The buttery whole wheat crust is a perfect canvas for the bright flavors of the season like summer squash and lemon thyme. I highly recommend making your own ricotta for this recipe too.
Recipe from Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen (Running Press 2013).
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pastry Crust
- 1 1/2 cup (210 grams) whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 teaspoon (4 grams) fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) granulated natural cane sugar
- 8 tablespoon (112 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
- 3 tablespoon (45 ml) ice cold water
Tart Filling
- 5 ounce (140 grams) fresh ricotta cheese
- Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large summer squash, sliced into 1/8-inch coins
- 4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml)
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoon (6 grams) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Featured Video
Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
- Step 2
To make the whole wheat pastry dough: add the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar to a deep bowl and whisk to combine. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and rub together quickly with your fingertips, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces. Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and stir with a fork until the dough forms a rough ball. Press the dough into a 10-inch (25 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Step 3
For the tart filling: stir the ricotta and lemon zest together in a small bowl. Spread the mixture into a thin layer on top of the dough. Arrange the squash slices on top of the ricotta in a circular pattern, overlapping the edges a bit. Drizzle a little olive oil over the squash.
- Step 4
Strip the leaves off the stems of lemon thyme (imagine the motion of a firefighter sliding down a pole). Sprinkle the leaves over the squash, along with the paprika. Scatter the cheese on top of the tart and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges and top are golden.