Tomato Tart with Mustard and Ricotta | Everyday Dorie

There are a few tomato tarts I love on this blog and in New York restaurant (Dirt Candy) simply because they are fantastic and meticulous creations. So, I have high hope that Dorie’s tomato tart with mustard and ricotta will turn out just as memorable. The tart shell is made with Pâte Brisée which holds sturdy greens, tomatoes, dabs of ricotta and a mustard-flavored egg custard.

The Pâte Brisée recipe can be found at the back of Everyday Dorie on page 329. I’ve made the dough for savory tarts multiple times and it’s an excellent and reliable recipe. After partially baking the crust, I proceed with sautéing the greens (arugula from the backyard vegetable patch and spinach).

The next step calls for slicing the tomatoes and cutting the cherry tomatoes in halves. What’s unexpected is that Dorie suggests drying the slices of tomatoes on double layer of paper towels. She wants to remove the excess moisture as much as possible. At that point, I make the executive decision to dry the tomatoes in a 300°F oven. Oven-dried tomatoes are one of those proven methods I lean on for flavorful results.

Following the recipe, I make the ricotta mixture by adding an egg yolk to 1/2 cup of ricotta and season it with salt and pepper.

Layering the tomato tart is more or less like making a quiche. In this case, the greens go to the bottom layer, then the mustard-egg custard with the tomatoes go above. Finish by spooning dollops of ricotta mixture over the top. Finally, the tomato tart goes into a 425°oven for about 30 minutes.

What comes out from the oven does not look like Dorie’s tart in the book. I check all the ingredients and revisit the procedures. Everything seems to be in order — other than the outcome, specifically the look of the ricotta dollops.

There is no way the ricotta top could be white and puffy like clouds. Remember, it is a mixture of ricotta with an egg yolk. Mine looks rather flat (like a pancake) as compared to Dorie’s puffed-up ricotta. That leads me to wonder whether the ricotta should have been whipped up with the egg white! That way, it would take on the look and feel of meringues.

I consider that a flaw in the recipe. If I may add another observation: there is too much custard mixture to fill a 9-inch tart pan. I want to like the tomato tart, but this recipe is far from perfect!