Ricotta and lemon thyme and lavender tart, recipe for ricotta cheese

I made this tart two weeks ago when I had ricotta cheese left over from making a batch of goat milk cheddar.  Well I still have ricotta and thought I'd try a different version.  This recipe is inspired by and modified from John Ash's cookbook "From the Earth to the Table".  This time I lined the crust with a paste of roasted tomatoes.  The crust itself is a slightly sweet cornbread based pastry made with cup 4 cup flour so it's also Gluten Free.  Give it a try with or without gluten.  Try the tart filling with any herbs you like:

crust ingredients

crust mise en place

Ingredients for cornmeal crust:

butter, 1/2 cup softened

sugar, 2 TBS

cornmeal, 1 cup

eggs, 2- at room temperature

salt, 1 tsp

all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups - I use Cup 4 Cup whenever possible for a gluten-free choice

Method:

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar and beat until smooth

Add cornmeal, eggs, and salt

Beat until well combined

Add flour and mix until dough forms a ball.  The mixture should be soft and moist

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350 deg. 

Butter a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom

On a floured work surface roll out the dough to fit the pan.  Transfer to the tart pan.

Press the dough into then pan, trimming any excess

Prick the dough with the tines of a fork

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Any leftover dough can be rolled out and cut into biscuits

happens to the best of us

just pretend it's play dough

Meanwhile gather the ingredients for your filling.  I had fresh tomatoes ( Pineapple and Cherokee Purple) from the garden.....lemon thyme, a pinch of coconut thyme blossoms, and lavender buds.  The ricotta was from the last batch of cheddar cheese.

Ricotta Cheese:

Ricotta is usually made from the whey from a hard cheese process.  Assuming you don't have a lactating goat and you don't have any fresh whey on hand let's make the best of it.

Ingredients:

whole milk, 1 gallon, NOT ultra pasteurized

cream, 1 cup, not ultra pasteurized 

apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup

salt - sea or kosher - no iodine- 1-2 tsp

honey - optional - for sweet cheese

Equipment:

Instant read thermometer

cheesecloth

strainer

Method:

Bring milk and cream to 190 deg

Add vinegar and continue to stir 

Turn off heat

You will see the curds (solids) begin to separate from the whey (liquid) 

Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and place over a vessel large enough to collect all the whey

Lift cheese with cloth and hang to let remaining whey drip out. If you want it dryer give it a squeeze while it's still in the cheesecloth

After about an hour transfer the curds to a bowl and salt to taste

Will keep about a week in the fridge or you can freeze

I don't know how much this will produce.  When I use 2 gallons of goat milk I get about a pound or 3 cups.

Now we're ready to make the filling:   This will take a while because you need to reduce the sauce and cool it before adding the eggs.  I take a nap while the sauce is cooling.  Or you can use an ice water bain Marie to speed up the process- or both

Recipe for filling:

Ingredients: 

Butter, unsalted, 1 TBS

Shallots, 4 TBS minced  ( can use scallions - white and green parts)

Heavy cream, 2/3 cup

Wine, white, dry,  1/2 cup

Sea Salt, 1/2 tsp

Pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 tsp

Ricotta cheese, fresh, 3/4 lb

Eggs, 3

Herbs, fresh 1 1/2 TBS, I used lemon thyme, lavender and a pinch of the flowers from coconut thyme

Method:

In a medium sauté pan melt butter and add shallots until soft but not brown

Add cream, wine, salt and pepper

Bring to a simmer and reduce to half

The kitchen will smell marvelous!!!!

Cool

In the food processor add ricotta, eggs and herbs.

Add room temp or cooler reduction sauce and beat until smooth

Pour into crust with or without roasted tomato paste lining

Bake at 350 deg for 35-40 minutes or until filling is set and lightly brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

tart filling ingredients

tart filling mise in place

Roasted tomatoes:

These have wonderful flavor

Cut fresh tomatoes in half and place face down on baking sheet

Roast at 375 deg until brown (at least an hour).  This is what mine looked like after an hour:

roasted tomatoes

Remove the skins and smooth or rough chop in a small blender.
Use the browned bits too
Use a pastry brush and slightly cover the cooled crust

fresh chopped herbs

Bon Appetit!