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- This recipe showcases wintery root vegetables (like squash, celery root, and potatoes) but is flexible enough to use with whatever’s on hand.
- The free-form crust and herbed ricotta base make it both simple to assemble and an elegant entertaining-worthy dish.
- A drizzle of lemon honey adds sweetness and brightness to the earthy flavors.
Top Chef judge Gail Simmons was married on a beautiful August day in 2008. Star chef Daniel Boulud, her former boss, cooked the feast, which included seven different vegetable dishes, all served family-style. Her favorite was his modern take on ratatouille, the traditional Provençal stew flavored with herbes de Provence.
Taken with the dish’s simplicity, Simmons first came up with a rustic tart using similar flavors, then varied it with the seasons. In colder months, she prepares it with root vegetables, layering paper-thin slices of whatever’s on hand, from potatoes to carrots or celery root.
The versatile dough is easy to prepare and shape into a free-form crust, and fresh ricotta, infused with herbs and lemon zest, forms a creamy and aromatic base for the seasonal vegetables that roast on top.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- A mandoline will speed slicing up considerably and will ensure an extra-thin shave — just be careful of your fingers.
- Alternatively, a vegetable peeler can achieve the super-thin slices Simmons calls for in this recipe, though the results won’t be as consistent as a mandoline.
