In a bowl, combine the butter, flour, and salt. Rub the flour and butter mix in between your hands until they turn fine and sandy, making sure to smear any large lumps of butter so they turn fine. Then, add the water to the sandy mixture, give it a few quick kneads to turn it into a dough. (This can also be done in a food processor, by blitzing the butter, flour, and salt in short bursts until fine and sand-like, then add in the water and knead it by hand.) Once the dough comes together, shape it into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (You can also make this the day ahead as it lasts in the fridge for about a week. If you’re not using it within the week, freeze it and it’ll keep for months.)

After chilling, remove the dough from the plastic wrap, and place it onto a well-floured surface. Roll out the dough with your rolling pin until it is 2-4mm thin, and large enough to fit into your tart pan, with at least 5cm (2 inches) of extra dough larger than the diameter of the tart pan. Transfer the rolled out dough into the tart pan, fitting it snugly into the bottom edges of the pan. Remove any excess dough with your knife. If your tart dough is really soft at this point, put it in the fridge to chill for 5 minutes to firm out a little before the next step.

Heat your oven to 180°C. With a fork or a docker, poke shallow holes into the bottom and sides of the tart shell. Then, place a sheet of aluminium foil or baking paper into the tart, and place baking weights on top (you can use pie weights, beans, or even uncooked rice). Blind bake the tart for 20 minutes. Then, remove the pie weights and foil, and bake for a further 20 minutes to ensure the base of the tart is cooked.

While the tart is baking, combine the ricotta, egg, minced garlic, 4/5 of the parsley (we’re saving the rest to garnish the tart), salt, and pepper in a bowl. Then, slice your cherry tomatoes in half and set them aside for later. (I like to slice them along the vertical axis for this tart, but horizontal is fine too.) If you’re using multicoloured tomatoes and want to get that ombre effect, it helps to group them by colour, which will help you assemble the tart quicker in the next step.

When the tart shell is done baking, remove it from the oven, and let it cool in the tart pan for 5-10 minutes. Then, pour your ricotta filling into the tart, and spread it out evenly. Next, place the tomatoes on top of the ricotta, arranging them however you please! (I did them face up, and arranged them so the colours ombre-d nicely from green to maroon, but feel free to do as you please!)

When the tart is assembled, place it back into the oven, and bake it for a further 30 minutes, until the ricotta filling is completely set. Remove the tart from the oven when done, and cool it on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

When the tart is just warm, sprinkle the parsley on top, along with a few cracks of black pepper. Slice into 6-8 pieces, and eat! The tart is best when still warm, but is also good even at room temperature. If you have leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, although the crust will turn soft and lose its crumbliness after a day.