Quick Puff Pastry Tart With Tomatoes, Prosciutto And Pesto
This is a simple puff pastry tart that's topped with ricotta, baby tomatoes, pesto & prosciutto. It's like a puff pastry pizza! Easy enough for a simple throw-together lunch, but impressive enough to serve to guests!
Place the pastry on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Score all around the edge with a knife, leaving a border of about 1.5 cm (make sure you don’t cut all the way through the pastry).
Combine the ricotta cheese with the lemon zest and a little freshly ground salt & pepper in a small bowl. Put aside.
Bake the pastry for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and push the centre of the tart down with the back of a spoon (leave the rim of the tart puffed up).
Now add your toppings. First spread the ricotta mixture over the tart, then add small spoonfuls of pesto and the tomatoes (cut side up is nice).
Bake for another 10 minutes, then add the prosciutto. Drizzle over a little olive oil and cook for another 5 minutes until the tart is golden and puffy.
Finally, sprinkle the finished tart with fresh basil leaves.
Notes
Pastry
This recipe assumes that you are using a rectangular sheet of ready made puff pastry (about 300 grams in weight). Sometimes I use a square sheet of puff pastry (about 9.5 x 9.5 inches) instead. In this case I reduce the amount of ingredients a bit, or I make two tarts (I always make 2 for a lunch for 4!).
Toppings
To be honest the ingredient amounts stated in this recipe are merely a guide. It's not the end of the world if you use more or less of something, or you miss out an ingredient altogether. You can:
use cream cheese instead of ricotta cheese.
use ordinary ham instead of prosciutto
use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes (but don't add them until the last 5 minutes or they'll burn)