Squash Blossom Tart
Squash blossoms are one of the most magical ingredients in the world, and this tart allows them to truly shine. This tart is simple with a ricotta layer swirled with parsley mint oil, and then layers the blossoms on top, making a beautiful, flavorful summer tart. It's the perfect recipe for when you don't know what to do with your squash blossoms!
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!