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RECIPE

Sour cherry and ricotta tart

This Roman ricotta tart spiked with tart cherries makes a perfect Shavuot pud.

articlemain
  • place PRE 1 hour
  • place COOK 40 minutes
  • place SERVES 8
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This delicious tart is perfect for Shavuot. It is a speciality of Boccione, a famous kosher Roman bakery. They make it with a wonderful ewe’s milk ricotta typical of Rome, and visciole, a tart sour cherry jam. Here’s my version, which uses a shortcrust base and lattice pastry top like a traditional crostata. If you can’t find sour cherry jam, use a regular cherry (or any other) jam instead and reduce the amount of sugar in the filling.

  • For the pastry: Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 
  • Add the egg, mix quickly and work the pastry with your hands into a disc. Alternatively make  the pastry in a food processor. Flour it lightly, wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 40 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 190˚C (170°C fan).
  • For the filling: Beat the whole egg with the sugar, add the ricotta and sherry and gently mix. 
  • Line a 26cm tart tin (with removable base) with 2/3rds of the pastry. 
  • Prick the pastry base with a fork then spread with sour cherry jam. Top with the ricotta mixture. 
  • Roll the remaining 1/3rd of pastry thinly and cut long strips of different lengths (about 1.5cm 
  • wide). Place them on top of the tart in a lattice pattern.
  • Bake for 35–40 minutes then cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the tin. 
  • Serve it warm, at room temperature or fridge cold. The ricotta is thicker when the tart is cold. It keeps well covered for a day at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 3 days

www.cookingforthesoul.com

Ingredients

For the pastry

200g white flour (ideally ‘00’ type)

100g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Zest of ½ a lemon 

pinch of salt

100g chilled butter, diced

1 medium egg

For the filling

1 egg + 1 egg yolk to glaze 

50g caster sugar 

500g ricotta 

3 tbsp sherry, or similar 

350g sour cherry jam

pinch of salt

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