Ricotta Ham And Scallion Tart Recipes

CREAMY RICOTTA TART WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 cup of pine nuts, and salt until finely ground. Add the butter. Pulse dough just until it comes together.
• Place the dough into an 11-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom and press down to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake until the tart shell is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. You don't want to boil the water, you just want to heat it so that the sugar can dissolve thoroughly. Stir until the sugar dissolves and remove from heat.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.
• Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup of toasted pine nuts atop the filling. Bake until the custard is set, about 10 minutes longer. Let the tart cool completely before serving.
• The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

SICILIAN RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• For the Tart Dough: This recipe works best with very cold butter. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Since butter softens rapidly with handling, return the cubes to the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes while you set up the food processor and gather the dry ingredients. Place the flour, sugar, and kosher salt, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse on/off a few times to combine. Add the butter, tossing quickly with a spatula to coat each cube with flour. This prevents the butter cubes from adhering together and helps them to break apart and combine more evenly with the flour. Pulse on and off 15 times until the butter particles are the size of small peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Process for about 10 seconds, stopping the machine before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a sheet of aluminum foil, pressing any loose particles into the mass of dough. Roughly form the dough into a 7-inch disk. Cover the dough completely with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to use. The dough may be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Let dough rest in refrigerator until needed.
• For the Tart: Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll out each portion of dough on a floured surface into 9-inch free form circles, about 3/8-inch thick, and transfer to baking sheets. Cover and chill the dough while you prepare the filling. Mix the ricotta, egg yolks, tangerine peel, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until well combined. Scatter the chopped dates over the surface of the tart shell leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around the outside edge. Spoon the filling over the dates and raise the dough border to enclose the sides of the tart. Press down on the dough where if forms pleats to secure. Bake the tart for 15 to 18 minutes, in preheated 450 degrees, until the crust is golden and the filling is just set. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

BAKED SPINACH RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• Place the ricotta in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and allow to drain over a bowl, covered and refrigerated, for 2 hours. To prepare the tart dough, combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Add the chilled butter and, using your fingertips or two knives, blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Work in the ice water until the dough holds together. Form the dough into a smooth, flat disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the dough into a 16inch disk. Place the rolled out dough into a 10- by 2 1/2-inch deep cake pan or springform mold. Pressing with your fingertips, flute the top edges of the dough. Place in the freezer and chill thoroughly, about 30 minutes. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over high heat and saute the spinach, stirring constantly until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and half the pepper. Place the cooked spinach in a colander and drain. Chop fine and reserve. In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and cook the onion 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat until translucent. Add the marjoram and prosciutto. Stir and cook an additional 2 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the drained ricotta, spinach, onion, and prosciutto. Season with the nutmeg and remaining salt and pepper. Set aside. Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is set. Remove the foil and beans and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the dough is light brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread the ricotta and spinach mixture evenly in the tart, place on the middle rack of' the oven, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the filling is set and the top golden brown. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes, slice into wedges, and serve.

COURGETTE, HAM & RICOTTA TARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry from one side to make a rough square, then quarter to make 4 smaller squares. Prick all over with a fork, transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins until puffed and golden.
• Meanwhile, fry the courgettes in the oil until soft and golden, stirring in the garlic for the final min. Mix together the cream, ricotta, egg and Parmesan.
• Remove the tarts once they've puffed up, flatten the middles and thickly spread the ricotta mixture over, leaving a small border. Scatter over the ham, tomatoes and courgette, season, then bake for 15 mins until the filling is slightly risen and golden. Serve with salad, if you like.

RICOTTA, HAM AND SCALLION TART

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet on the top rack of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees. Grease a 9-inch fluted tart pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Line the pan with the pizza dough, carefully pressing it against the sides; trim excess dough.Whisk the ricotta, cream and egg in a medium bowl. Mince enough green scallion tops to make 2 tablespoons; add to the ricotta mixture along with the parsley and dill. Season with pepper. Slice the remaining scallions into 1/2- to 1/4-inch pieces.Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sliced scallions and 2 tablespoons water; cook until the scallions are tender and start to sizzle, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the ham. Spread all but a few tablespoons of the scallion mixture on the prepared crust. Pour in the ricotta mixture, then scatter the remaining scallion mixture on top.Bake the tart on the preheated baking sheet for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is set. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and slice.Source: foodnetwork.comRecipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.