Crostata di Ricotta from Julia Busuttil Nishimura

 

To make the pastry, tip the flour onto a clean work surface and combine with the baking powder, sea salt and sugar. Add the butter and lemon zest and toss through the flour. Using a metal pastry scraper or a knife, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. There should be larger pieces of butter too, so don’t overwork it at this stage. Pour the egg onto the mixture and incorporate into the dough using the pastry scraper or knife. Once all the egg has been gently mixed in, begin to sprinkle with iced water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together, using your hands or a pastry scraper to bring it all together to form the pastry. Shape the pastry into a flattish disc, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Meanwhile, make the filling by combining all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing until smooth. Set aside.

Remove the pastry from the fridge. Take 3/4 of the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface until 3mm in thickness. Drape the pastry into a 24cm springform cake tin, allowing plenty of pastry to hang over the edges. Roll out the remaining dough to the same thickness and using a pastry cutter or knife, cut strips of pastry approximately 1cm wide. Set aside.

Fill the base with the ricotta filling, smoothing the top to create an even surface. Create a lattice pattern with the previously cut strips of pastry. Trim excess overhanging pastry, leaving a 2cm border and fold into the tart, pinching to secure.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until just set. Allow to cool then set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Remove from the cake tin and transfer to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and top with extra candied fruits and pistachios. 

Recipe kindly supplied by Julia Busuttil Nishimura