Zucchini Ricotta Tart

D and I host Friday night dinner pretty regularly. Being the slight lunatic that I am, prep usually starts on Tuesday, if not earlier. I start thinking about themes, poking around online and in my cookbooks for possible main courses, and trying to decide what vibe I want to create. Is this an apps and wine crowd, or more of a straight-to-the-table kind of meal? Are we going meat or dairy? (Usually we do dairy; I simply can't part with butter for dessert.) Is it cold enough for soup or even a one-pot-meal? Etc.

This past weekend, D and I were so pooped from the long week that we decided to do just the two of us for dinner. Our friends Kira and Dina also wanted something low key, so we decided to combine forces. K and D would bring salad and a vegetable side, I'd make soup, some sort of tart, and dessert. We had challah in the freezer and plenty of wine on the rack.

Plans to cook notwithstanding, the week was absolutely crazy and I had only enough time to make soup (ginger carrot, on the blog soon) and a cake (fig-polenta, kinda great, also up soon). The tart just didn't happen. I rushed home from work on Friday with not much time, not much time at all to spare, and scrambled to put something together. Spotted: one yellow squash in the fridge. Half a tub of ricotta. Some pecorino romano cheese. A bit of fresh mint. Frozen puff pastry. Each tasty on its own, but would it all go together? Oh Hell Yes.

Of course, the meal I threw together most haphazardly was actually my favorite in quite a long time. Maybe I'm just a fan of al fresco cuisine, but seriously -- what could be better than a simple soup, a light, fresh salad, and an easy puff pastry tart? Not much, in my opinion.

As a shout-out to my dear friend Sarah, who strives to be a more instinctive cook, let me point out that puff pastry is a wonderful blank slate on which any number of delicious tarts can be made. Zucchini/pecorino-ricotta/mint was great, but here are some other ideas:

• onion, feta mushrooms (sound familiar?)
• mushroom and goat cheese -- saute mushrooms in olive oil; either cover tart with mushrooms and sprinkle goat cheese overtop, or put mushrooms and goat cheese (and maybe some ricotta) into a blender, and spread that on top of the puff pastry -- and then top with some grated parmesan or bits of goat cheese. yum.
• spread tart with a thin layer of ricotta; top with thin slices of zucchini, red pepper, and tomato, with slices of parmesan or mozzarella and basil leaves interspersed.

As I write this, I'm realizing that any of the ingredients above would be great with any other. If you don't like olives, love red peppers, dig pesto, and want to skip the zucchini, just go for it. I'd say the key is to have a layer of something smooth, topped with a layer of thin vegetables, and topped with something super savory and strong (herbs, hard cheese, etc). Feel free to leave other tart ideas in the comment thread.

Zucchini Ricotta Tart

• 1 8x8 (or larger) square of puff pastry, thawed and unrolled according to package directions
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced as thinly as possible (I did not use a mandoline -- you can, but definitely don't need to
• 1/4 cup kalamata or other greek olives, halved
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful of mint leaves, julienned

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the puff pastry on top.

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, lemon zest, and a small handful of the pecorino. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture onto puff pastry, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge.

Slice the zucchini very thinly; lay slices slightly overlapping in rows, again leaving a border. Sprinkle with olive slices, and top with the remaining pecorino.

Bake for about 30 minutes (or according to package directions), until golden at the edges and crisp all the way through. Slice into quarters for a main dish, eighths for a side or app; sprinkle with mint, and serve warm or at room temp.

Onion Tart

I have less than no time to write this post: work is suuuper crazy right now and I've hardly had time to cook, let alone write. But how's this for a teaser: it's taking me longer to write this post than it did to make the onion tart I'm sharing with you. Really.

As long as you don't make your own puff pastry, this tart can be put together in no time with just a bit of advance prep work (read: caramelize onions). I had a bit of time one night last week so I caramelized down two whole white onions into a big sweet mush. They served as the main ingredient of this here tart, topped off with some goat cheese, quick-sauteed mushrooms, and a few snippings of chives. That's it. And with such little effort, the whole thing still got polished off at Friday night dinner.

If I had more time to write I would -- but promise me you'll make this tart, in the meantime? I'll regale ya'll with more stories after work is done and I'm on vacation. Plus, if you're patient, I can promise awesome pictures from my upcoming cruise to Alaska!

Onion Tart Makes 2 tarts

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed on parchment paper atop baking sheets 2 whole onions, chopped and caramelized with some oil or butter over low heat for 20-ish minutes 2 cups mushrooms olive oil 3/4 small log goat cheese (enough to dot two tarts generously) a couple chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute mushrooms over medium high heat with some olive oil and a bit of the caramelized onions (for flavor). Bake puff pastry for ten-fifteen minutes, until it begins to puff and turns ever so slightly golden. Out of the oven, pile ingredients onto tarts -- first onions, then mushrooms, then goat cheese, then chives. Bake five-ten more minutes, until golden throughout and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Leek and Onion Tart

File this under "unexpectedly delicious." When I developed the recipe for this tart, I purposefully avoided making the center quiche-like. I wanted a cheesy filling laced with caramelized leeks and onions; a quiche, eggy and milky, is a whole different thing. That said, eggs make things hold together and puff a bit in the oven, so I was concerned that my eggless tart filling would be dense and soggy, and might even disintegrate once sliced. Not so, my friends, not so. This was truly an unanticipated success, and perhaps the best thing on my dinner table last Friday night.

The key was caramelizing the hell out of onions and leeks; I'm talking half an hour over low heat, first covered, then uncovered, so that the onions shrunk into a big ole' pile of sweet brown goo (gosh, that sounds appetizing) and the leeks also emitted their natural sugar. This step was the longest and most annoying, as it essentially consisted of watching a pot, but I got to stir every once in a while to keep from falling asleep.

After the onions and leeks were fully caramelized and cooled, I added them and a bunch of chopped herbs to 2 cups of soft, curded cheese. My preference is a mix of farmer cheese and ricotta (mostly farmer cheese). If you use ricotta, you may want to set it in a strainer lined with paper towels for 1/2 and hour or so, to let some of the moisture drain out. Since farmer cheese is essentially drained cottage cheese, it's relatively dry.

As for the crust, I used a recipe for basic pie dough, and altered it so that 1/2 the flour was whole wheat. Overall, the crust tasted good and had the right flaky-crunchy consistency; however, even though I blind-baked it before adding the filling, the bottom of the crust got a bit, uh, less-than-crunchy by the time I served it. You'll be happiest with your results if you fill the crust just before baking and serving it. But do make this one, because it won a fan base quickly and I imagine I'll be making it again soon. Friday night guests, stay tuned.

Whole Wheat Leek and Onion Tart serves 8

For the crust(adapted from a recipe on chow.com):

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, stand mixer, or your hands, cut butter into flour until the butter is dispersed throughout and the mixture is in pea-sized bits.
1. Add 4 Tbsp. ice water and mix just until dough comes together; only add the 5th Tbsp. if you need to, and do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.
2. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

For the Filling:

• 2 medium white onions, chopped
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced lengthwise and chopped into half-moons
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or half tsp. dried)
• 2 tsp. fresh marjoram (1 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley (1/2 Tbsp. dried)
• 2 cups soft curded cheese, drained if necessary
• salt and pepper

1. Caramelize onions and leeks in a fair amount of olive oil (enough to generously coat a heavy-bottomed skillet) and a bit of salt, over low heat for at least 1/2 an hour. Start with them covered, which allows them to soften from the steam; after 20 minutes or so, uncover them and stir regularly, until they have shrunk considerably and have turned caramel-brown.
2. After cooling the onions and leeks, add them and all the herbs to the 2 cups of cheese. Salt and season to taste.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the crust: remove from the refrigerator, and roll on a floured surface until the dough is about 1 1/2 inches wider than your tart pan.
4. Wrap the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the tart pan, and carefully lay it inside.
5. Delicately press the dough into the crevices of the pan, and use a knife to trim the edges of the crust.
6. Fill the crust with uncooked rice or beans, pie weights, or another pie dish, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
7. Set out on a counter, uncovered, to cool completely.
8. Before serving, fill the crust with your cheese mixture, bake at 350 for 15 minutes, and serve immediately.

Chocolate Coffee Mascarpone Tart

Mandy had a very big birthday a couple weeks back, and I made her this tart because every big birthday deserves a Sunday morning assault of chocolate, coffee, and mascarpone cheese. Did I hear you ask for a slice? Sorry folks, this one's not for sharing.

What this tart lacks in sweetness, it more than accounts for in richness. Put less subtly, this cake isn't overly sugary, but it packs a fatty punch, yes it does. And lest you think only two bites will be enough, I assure you that real tart fans will have no trouble at all finishing every last bite of one (cough two) slices. And they'll be licking the crumbs from their plates in between helpings.

I originally made a chocolate crust for this tart, which was very popular with Mandy and her family. If you're more of a purist (though I don't even know what that means when we're talking coffee, chocolate, mascarpone) feel free to substitute a more traditional tart dough, or as the French call it, pâte sucrèe. That recipe can be found here, when I made a strawberry-rhubarb tart. But I digress.

If you've got some serious chocoholics around or simply need to satisfy your own craving for what are obviously three of the world's great culinary discoveries, try this one on for size. As for decoration, I grated some bittersweet chocolate overtop; you could also shave chocolate with a peeler to create longer, more curly pieces, and if you happen to have some whole roasted coffee beans on hand, those, too, would make a delightful garnish. Come to think of it, why not have both?

Chocolate Coffee Mascarpone Tart serves 8.

Tart Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa (substitute with an equal amount of flour if making pâte sucrèe)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 stick plus 1 Tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into small chunks
• 1 egg yolk

1. Blend dry ingredients with a hand or stand mixer, or better yet, a food processor. I find the processor allows dough to come together most easily.
2. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal, with little "pearls" of butter running throughout.
3. Add egg yolk; blend until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate while preparing ingredients for the tart. After about half and hour, the tart dough should be just chilled enough that it rolls nicely. Place dough between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and roll out into a circle slightly larger than the size of your tart pan. (I use a round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, but any shallow baking pan will do.)
4. Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap. Hold the dough from the layer of plastic wrap beneath, and carefully turn onto your pan. Once your dough is on the pan, remove the top layer of plastic and start fitting your dough to your pan, pushing it delicately into the crevices and corners without changing the thickness of the dough too much. Trim the ends, and make a decorative outer lip if you desire.
5. "Dock" your dough to the pan by spearing it with a fork in several spots, and bake for 20-ish minutes at 350, until crust is crisped. This will ensure that the crust holding the (liquidy) ingredients will still taste flaky, and not mushy. Do check to ensure that the crust doesn't burn, though.
6. While the tart crust cools, make the mousse to go inside.

Chocolate Coffee Mascarpone Mousse (adapted from Tartelette):

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 600 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. coffee
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mascarpone
• 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
• grated chocolate, coffee beans, or other garnish, optional

1. Melt the chocolate in a makeshift double boiler (a metal bowl over a pot with a couple inches of boiling water in it).
2. In a heavy saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil, add the coffee and let infuse for 5 minutes.
3. Strain the cream through a fine sieve and pour it over the dark chocolate. Stir until completely incorporated.
4. After allowing to cool for at least 5 minutes, add several spoonfuls to your beaten egg to temper the egg.
5. Now, add the egg mixture to the chocolate. Reposition it on the pot of boiling water, and allow to thicken, stirring at regular intervals, about 5 minutes.
6. Once the chocolate has thickened, move it from the heat to the fridge and let it cool for about 30 minutes. After it cools, mix in 1/2 cup mascarpone, and spread the mixture into the crust.
7. Using a hand or stand mixer (or good old fashioned arm strength), whip up the remaining cup of cream until it holds soft peaks, and spread overtop the mousse. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep, covered and refrigerated, for upto 1 week (if you can keep it around for that long.)