Squash blossoms are one of my absolute favorite summer ingredients, and of course, that makes them the star of this Squash Blossom Tart with ricotta and lemon parsley oil. This tart is simple to make, but an utter show-stopper when you add the gorgeous squash blossoms on top. And I love how it gives squash blossoms another way to shine other than deep frying them! They are such a gorgeous ingredient, so I always try to give them as many ways as possible to shine.
This tart is mostly assemble-and-bake, so I’ll have all the information you need below! It’s a perfect summer recipe, so I hope you’ll love it!
Table of contents
What are squash blossoms?
Great question! I actually didn’t know about squash blossoms myself until I saw someone stuff them with ricotta and then tempura fry them. And then I became fully obsessed with them.
Squash blossoms are a large flower that grows out of the ends of zucchini. Farmer’s markets are abundant with them in the summertime, since to preserve their delicate texture, they are usually removed from the zucchini plant and sold separately.
They don’t have a strong flavor, but what they do have is a lovely soft texture and they add a gorgeous look to any recipe. So if you cook for the aesthetic, squash blossoms are your absolute best friend.
Ingredients for this squash blossom galette
- 1 portion of all-butter pie crust, recipe on this blog post!
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 lemon for zest and juice
- 1 cup fresh parsley, one large handful
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, about a few sprigs
- 2 tabelspoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- Salt to taste
- 10 squash blossoms
- Olive oil as needed
- 1 egg for egg wash
Click here for the crust recipe for this squash blossom tart
And make the crust first! I recommend making the crust, then chilling it. From there, lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pie crust into a large rectangle. You want it to be about 1/2 cm thick and at least 13 inches long and 9 inches wide.
When you have reached your desired size, lightly flour the top and transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the dough chill in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.
How to make the parsley oil for this squash blossom galette
This part is so easy, all you have to do is blend!
In a small blender, add the parsley, mint, olive oil, 2 garlic cloves and the juice from the whole zested lemon. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of ice water and season with a generous pinch of salt. Blend this until you form a smooth (but thick) green parsley oil. Season with more salt, if needed. Set aside.
How to make the ricotta filling
In a small bowl, add the ricotta, 3 cloves of minced or grated garlic, and the zest from one lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine, taste and season and stir again. Set this aside. This will be the main base for the squash blossom galette.
How to assemble this squash blossom tart
I love it when everything starts to come together in a recipe, it’s just so satisfying. For this recipe, we start with the crust, then move to the ricotta and parsley oil.
Remove the tart crust from the fridge and add the ricotta in three large dollops. Use a knife or spatula to smooth out the ricotta, leaving about 2-3 inches open from the edge of the tart.
Drop small teaspoons of the parsley oil among the ricotta. Use the spoon you used to drop the oil on the ricotta to swirl it into a nice design. Make sure it’s something you’d like people to see!
Evenly layer the squash blossoms on top of the ricotta and parsley oil. You want them touching, but not covering each other. Drizzle these with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
Fold up the sides of the tart, as if nestling in the squash blossoms. Chill this in the fridge while the oven reaches its needed temperature.
Next, whisk up one egg to make an egg wash. When the oven is ready, remove the tart from the fridge and right before baking, brush the egg wash on the edges of the tart.
From here, just bake the squash blossom tart at 375°F for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown. The squash blossoms will wilt, but they’re sturdy, so they will keep a lot of their structure. After they come out of the oven, you can slice and enjoy!
Looking for other summer recipes?
Here are a few of my favorites. Summer only lasts so long, so it’s definitely time to make the most of these ingredients while they are here!
And that’s it for this Squash Blossom Tart!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Squash Blossom Tart
Ingredients
- 1 portion of all-butter pie crust recipe on this blog and linked in the blog post above, chilled and ready to be rolled out
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 lemon for zest and juice
- 1 cup fresh parsley one large handful
- 1/4 cup fresh mint about a few sprigs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup ice water plus more as needed
- Salt to taste
- 10 squash blossoms
- Olive oil as needed
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pie crust into a large rectangle. You want it to be about 1/2 cm thick and at least 13 inches long and 9 inches wide.
- When you have reached your desired size, lightly flour the top and transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the dough chill in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, add the ricotta, 3 cloves of minced or grated garlic, and the zest from one lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine, taste and season and stir again. Set this aside.
- In a small blender, add the parsley, mint, olive oil, 2 garlic cloves and the juice from the whole zested lemon. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of ice water and season with a generous pinch of salt. Blend this until you form a smooth (but thick) green parsley oil. Season with more salt, if needed. Set aside.
- Remove the tart crust from the fridge and add the ricotta in three large dollops. Use a knife or spatula to smooth out the ricotta, leaving about 2-3 inches open from the edge of the tart.
- Drop small teaspoons of the parsley oil among the ricotta. Use the spoon you used to drop the oil on the ricotta to swirl it into a nice design. Make sure it's something you'd like people to see!
- Evenly layer the squash blossoms on top of the ricotta and parsley oil. You want them touching, but not covering each other. Drizzle these with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
- Fold up the sides of the tart, as if nestling in the squash blossoms. Chill this in the fridge while the oven reaches its needed temperature.
- Whisk up one egg to make an egg wash.
- When the oven is ready, remove the tart from the fridge and right before baking, brush the egg wash on the edges of the tart.
- Bake the tart at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is deeply golden.
- Slice and serve with a bright lemony salad or with your favorite brunch fixings!
