Raw Tomato Basil "Ricotta" Tart

Happy first day of summer!  Although, to me it is already summer with the weather we have been having.  As far as I am concerned once June hits, it is summer.  But now that it is official, I thought I would celebrate by making a tomato tart. 

To me, tomatoes are the essence of summer.  My Grandpa has been growing a large garden of just tomatoes and cucumbers for as long as I can remember.  Every week, he gives me a large bag of each, and I live off of tomatoes and cucumbers for lunch.  I love it! There is nothing like biting into a ripe tomato unadorned and straight from the garden!  The flavor is so intense, not like the tomatoes you buy at the store being flown in from elsewhere.

They taste of summer, top them off with fresh basil from the garden and even better! Which is why I thought  a tart featuring them would be lovely!  I didn't want to heat up my oven, and so I decided to make a raw tart.  I have recently been reading Ani's Raw Food Essentials by Ani Phyo, and I wanted to try her pizza crust.  Although it was going to be a tart crust here, not a pizza crust.  It worked beautifully as the tart crust though, and was delicious! 

I then filled it with a rich raw almond "ricotta", and topped it off with those fresh tomatoes, basil and a sprinkle of fleur de sel!  It was delcious, and tasted of summer!  I am looking forward to a summer filled with lots of tomatoes fresh from the garden! 

Raw Tomato Basil "Ricotta" Tart
(Crust adapted from recipe by Ani Phyo)
Serves 2-3

Crust:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup ground flax
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 small clove garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp water

Cheese:
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
2 small cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water

One large organic tomato, thinly sliced
A few fresh organic basil leaves cut into chiffonade
fleur de sel

To make crust, combine sunflower seeds, flax, garlic, sea salt and oregano in a food processor and process until finely ground.  Add olive oil and pulse to blend.  Add 1 Tbsp water, and if mixture stays together when sweezed it is ready to use, if not, add another Tbsp water (but not too much because you don't want it too sticky).  Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a removable bottom tart pan and set aside. 
To make the filling, combine the almonds, garlic, sea salt, lemon juice and water in a food processor and process until very smooth. Scoop the mixture into the prepared crust, and smooth out the top.  Place in the fridge to set, about an hour.  Remove the tart from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.  Arrange the tomatoes decoratively on the top, and top with the fresh basil and a sprinkle of fleur de sel.  Serve!