Never again will I make any sort of quiche or egg-based tart without using ricotta! It makes the eggs ridiculously light and fluffy. The ricotta melts right into the eggs so you can't really tell the two apart - you can just tell it's like eating a cloud. Not that I've ever eaten a cloud, but I imagine it's probably something like this. Perhaps a cloud is a bit wetter.
I will also never again make a quiche that doesn't use filo pastry as the crust. It's so much easier than making your own pastry - and it's even easier than rolling shop-bought pastry! It gives a perfectly crispy crust but it's still thin enough to make sure the filling is the star of the show.
I think filo sometimes has a bit of a bad reputation - some people seem to think it's really fiddly and hard to use. I hear a lot of "if you don't keep it moist every single second it will dry out and you won't be able to use it and your cooking will be ruined! Ahhhh!" So not true. Here's a little story about how ridiculous I am: I used the first half of this roll of pastry to make my spinach and ricotta strudel and then the rest sat in the fridge, very (very) poorly wrapped for well over a week before I bothered to use it up. Sure, it was a tiny bit brittle where it had been exposed to the air, but was it ruined? Not at all. The great thing about filo is that since you're going to layer it up anyway, it doesn't matter at all if one or two of your layers have a little tear in them. You're actually encouraged to just slap another bit of pastry on top to cover the hole. Slapdash cooking at its finest. So don't be afraid! Filo is easy really.
(plus it gives a perfect 'rustic' edge to your crust, and we all know how I like making things look rustic. Far less effort than making things look neat.)
I love how elegant this tart looks - it's easy to make, but I think it would still be pretty great for serving at a dinner party. You could even make little individual versions to serve as an appetiser. It's good hot or cold, too, so doesn't give you any stress about making sure everything's ready at the same time.
Look! Look at the fluffiness!
Anyway, I'll calm down now while you go and fish that leftover filo from the back of your fridge. It can't be just me.
- 75g filo pastry
- Spray oil (or a little melted butter if you prefer)
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 125g ricotta cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 3tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- Lightly grease a pie dish (mine measured 9 inches in diameter), and cover it with a sheet of filo - press gently into the bottom of the dish. Spray lightly with oil (or brush with butter if you prefer), and add another layer of pastry - you can place each sheet at a different angle if you need to fill gaps. Continue alternating oil and pastry until your whole pie dish is covered with at least 3 layers of pastry (I think I ended up with more like 4). If you want, you can neaten up the edges of the pastry a little - I tore off any particularly large corners, but left it looking quite rough.
- Pour the lightly beaten eggs into the pastry, and dot with teaspoon-sized dollops of ricotta. Season quite generously, then sprinkle with the chopped parsley and lay the tomato slices on top.
- Bake for around 25 minutes, until the egg is set and the pastry is crispy. Serve hot or cold.
Mani @ A New Life Wandering says
Looks so good! I love the idea of the filo. I'd love to make it and pack it for my husband for lunch at work.
Does it keep till the next day? What about the next two days? ;)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Mani! I don't see why it wouldn't keep for a couple of days :) I can't remember exactly but I think we finished this over the course of a couple of days and I remember if being just fine!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
Becca,
This is a beautiful tart! I've never made a quiche with ricotta but I will have to give it a try! Thank you so much for joining us and sharing this at Marvelous Mondays. Have a wonderful week!
Dina says
it looks wonderful!
ATasteOfMadness says
Ooh! I just bought ricotta. I should make this, this looks fabulous!
miss messy says
Love the 'slapdash' cooking. This looks delicious! I made my own ricotta for the first time the other day and now want to use it in EVERYTHING.. because i think i'm ever so clever. ha!
Mimi says
Thanks a lot for this recipe!
I'm gonna make this for dinner today.
Also, thanks for using metric.
Seriously.
I hate seeing nice recipes, but constantly having to convert the unit.
♥
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Mimi! And I know how you feel - I'm always being asked if I can convert my recipes into the American style and it really annoys me! I have to convert pretty much every recipe I find online if I want to make it, so when it's a recipe I've written myself, you can be damn sure someone else can do the work for a change! :P
Mimi says
Hey, it's me again :)
I just wanted to let you know, the tart tasted quite delicious!
It was for a small dinner with friends, and they all liked it a lot.
As I'm no native speaker, I may have misunderstood, but i think you made a little mistake in the listing of the ingredients.
You wrote "4 eggs, lightly heated" while i think you meant them to be lightly beaten.
cheers ♥
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ahhh I'm sorry! Stupid auto-correct! I can't believe I didn't notice that before. I've changed it now - I hope it didn't ruin your tart! Really glad you all enjoyed it :)
Britni @ Play. Party. Pin. says
I would never have thought to use ricotta in a tart but this sounds great and I'll definitely have to try it.