Ricotta Tomato Tart with Gluten-free Cornmeal Crust & Arugula Walnut Pesto

Name: Ricotta Tomato Tart with Gluten-free Cornmeal Crust & Arugula Walnut Pesto
Yield: One 11-inch tart
Ingredients: ½ cup finely ground cornmeal; 1/3 cup sweet rice flour; 1/4 cup oat flour*; 1/4 cup tapioca starch; ½ teaspoon xanthan; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; 8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 6-8 tablespoons ice water; 5 medium-large ripe tomatoes (or 8-10 small tomatoes), sliced; 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided; 12 ounces (1 ½ cups) whole-milk ricotta; 4 ounces fresh French feta, crumbled & divided; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; 1¾ cups baby arugula; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ cups packed fresh basil; 1/3 cup chopped walnuts; ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese; 2 cloves garlic; 1/4 teaspoon salt

August 16, 2016 by Sarah Menanix

Last updated on April 8th, 2019

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Does anyone else get severe produce anxiety? As much as I like the idea of a CSA, it hardcore stresses me out. Suddenly a crate full of arugula and what if I don’t have time to eat the arugula before the edges wilt and the whole bag gets slimy? What happens if the tomatoes turn to rotten mush before I can use them all?! That sheer panic at the sight of a huge box of my mom’s homegrown tomatoes led to this ricotta tomato tart.

Confession: my extreme procrastination let a few tomatoes spoil and I feel really guilty about it and needed to get that off my chest because the homegrown tomato shame is intense when they come from your mom’s garden.

There’s no match for my mom’s tomatoes. I tried to grow my own two summers ago. We covered up our pig roast pit and decided to take advantage of the overturned dirt by planting a garden. Turns out vegetables don’t like our clay. Zucchini and tomatoes were the only things that took – with the tomatoes going from zero to “OMGAWWW I’M A TOMATO PLANT RAWRRRR!!!” like a giant inflatable dancing tube man in about a week all over the garden.

Sadly, we didn’t get to eat the tomatoes. You know the “if I lick it, then it’s mine” rule? Well raccoons seem to have a similar rule: “If I bite it, then it’s mine.” The sneaky bandits went through my garden and took exactly ONE bite out of each tomato, leaving them hanging on the vine as insult, “your tomatoes aren’t up to snuff.”

I wouldn’t know, I didn’t get to taste them.

This ricotta tomato tart is the perfect platter for showcasing my mama’s vibrantly red juicy tomatoes. Creamy feta & ricotta custard (barely adapted from Alanna’s ricotta & roasted beet tart) and a thin layer of arugula walnut pesto (inspired by the near end-of-life arugula in my fridge) are snuggled up in a flakey gluten-free cornmeal crust and then topped with juicy sliced tomatoes and a few crumbles of feta and parmesan. Baked until golden brown and topped with dollops of pesto, this tart tastes (and smells) like an upscale deep dish pizza except without all the grease and mess.

‘Tis the season of tomato tarts apparently. I’ll take a slice of each of these please:

Tessa’s tart uses a cornmeal almond crust with fresh heirloom tomatoes
Beth’s tart has a layer of dijon and is studded with goat cheese
Liz paired hers with a hazelnut crust and turned it into a galette
Summer filled her tart with a sweet corn ricotta

Ricotta Tomato Tart with Gluten-free Cornmeal Crust & Arugula Walnut Pesto

Yield: One 11-inch tart

Ingredients

Gluten-free Cornmeal Crust

½ cup finely ground cornmeal
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour*
1/4 cup tapioca starch
½ teaspoon xanthan
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6-8 tablespoons ice water