Once summer squash hits the farmstands, most of my meals feature them in one form or another. From marinated shaved fresh zucchini to top toasts or sautéed slices with tomatoes for a beautiful summer pasta, it's a favorite all season long. A recipe I've been loving lately is this one for summer squash rosette tarts. These sweet zucchini rosettes sit on top of a zesty ricotta mixture and flaky puff pastry and make for a perfect lunch or cocktail party bite. They are rustic, beautiful and effortless, my favorite type of summer cooking.
Summer Squash Rosette Tarts
serves 4-6
1 box frozen puff pastry, defrosted
3 summer squash
Handful of squash blossoms
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon
Handful of torn mozzarella
Olive oil
Sea salt + pepper
Handful of fresh oregano
Preheat oven for 375F.
Cut defrosted puff pastry into desired shapes and sizes. You can do larger shapes if you plan to enjoy as a main dish or minis for cocktail bites. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and prick interior of puff pastry shapes all over with a fork, keeping a boarder, so the interior doesn't rise as much during the initial bake. Follow baking instructions on box and bake puff pastry for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
While the puff pastry bakes, prep the filling and toppings. In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, chopped preserved lemon, drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt, pepper and torn fresh oregano. Set aside until ready to use. You may have some extra ricotta mixture and if so, store in refrigerator and use in the coming days on toasts or spooned on top of pasta.
Using a vegetable peeler, slice thin ribbons of the zucchini length wise. To make a zucchini rosette, roll one ribbon into a tight spiral, followed by a second ribbon around that. You can make rosettes as wide as you'd like, but I find two ribbons is a perfect size for these tarts.
Once pastry has cooled, spread a dollop of ricotta mixture on top of pastry, leaving the boarded free to create a beautiful crust. Top with torn mozzarella and rosettes or squash blossoms. Sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from oven and top with torn oregano. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
