Squash Tart
serves 6–8
1 sheet puff pastry dough
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 egg plus one egg yolk
¼ tsp. sea salt
10 very thin (⅛-inch) slices butternut squash
6-10 thin slices goat cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Thaw puff pastry dough according to package directions. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the slices of butternut squash. Cook 1–2 minutes on each side and set aside.
When dough is thawed, put it on a lightly floured surface and roll it to ⅛-inch thick. Place the dough on parchment paper and transfer to a sheet pan for assembly. Prick the dough in the middle of the tart a few times with a fork and sprinkle about ¾ of the lemon zest onto the dough.
In a small bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon juice, whole egg, and salt. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Arrange the slices of squash on the ricotta, then the slices of goat cheese.
Fold the edges of the pastry inward over the filling. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until tart shell is golden and the filling has set. Serve warm, sprinkled with remaining lemon zest and freshly ground pepper.
Recently Joy acted on a persistent daydream by converting part of her backyard into a garden for berries and a second garden to build up the soil for vegetables. When she isn’t tending these new gardens, she dabbles in food styling and design for Edible Ohio Valley and volunteers on a local farm.
