Zucchini Tart with Herbed Lemon Ricotta

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope everyone is having a happy and loving day!  For me, today is a day to embrace all things romantic!!

I am always shocked when I see so-called "romantic" Valentine's Day recipes that are chalked full of heavy creams, dense sweets and huge portions.  I don't know about you but when I am stuffed the LAST thing I feel is romantic (or sexy for that matter!)  So I decided to keep my Valentine's Day recipe simple, light and delicious.

I love zucchini.  I love how you can eat it raw or baked or grated or fried.  It is one of the ultimate versatile veggies AND it works perfectly in this tart.  Store-bought puff pastry brings a buttery airiness to this dish without all of the hard work.  AND last but not least, herbed-lemony ricotta bring a nice creaminess that sends this recipe over the top.  It looks fancy.  It tastes fabulous.  What more do you need from a romantic meal?  Pair it with some roasted chicken or a simple grilled steak and you will be set!

ZUCCHINI TART

WITH HERBED LEMON RICOTTA

Adapted from Forty Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced using a mandolin or knife
• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator 
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• juice from half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leave, chopped
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, herbs, lemon zest and juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
3. On a floured surface roll out puff pastry sheet into 10 by 9 inch rectangle.  Using a fork score the pastry every 1/2 inches to avoid bubbles in the pastry while baking.  Spread ricotta mixture onto the pastry using a spatula, making sure to leave a half inch border.
4. Arrange zucchini slices on top of the ricotta.  (I arranged mine in a lattice pattern but you could also just layer the slices slightly overlapping them.)  Brush zucchini slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 14-15 minutes until puff pastry is golden around the edges.
5. Allow tart to cool in the pan for about five minutes and then carefully transfer to a cutting board or serving platter.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

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