Savory Ricotta Tart – Thin to Win

I got a food wish for a ricotta cheesecake recently, which sounded fantastic, but with bikini season rapidly approaching, my love handles and I thought we'd compromise and do a savory, sugar-free version instead.

I love the simple combination of really good ricotta and fresh herbs, baked with just enough eggs to hold things together. I was in the mood for some heat, but things like pepper and cayenne are totally optional.

As I alluded to in the video, I usually do this as a pie, which comes out about twice as thick, but I wanted to try it in tart-form and the pan I used was clearly too large. Next time I'll simply double the ingredients, and add about 10 or 15 minutes to the cooking time, and I recommend you do the same.

Keep this humble pie in mind when the "way too many vegetables" part of summer rolls around. This could be a great base for using up leftover veggies in a very fritatta-like way. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 thin portions:

• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted in some olive oil
• olive oil to coat pan
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cayenne or other hot peppers to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped or torn basil
• 1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• tiny pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 oz finely greated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/2 cup if the real stuff, otherwise 1/4 cup packed of the fake “stuff”)
• *Bake at 325 for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until set.