Source: SBS Food
This is a delicious, inter-regional lemon tart recipe, using fresh ricotta cheese, typical of the south, and a little mascarpone, a cream cheese of the north. Try to get sheep’s milk ricotta if you can as it is much tastier.
For the pastry
400 g ready made puff pastry
a little plain flour for dusting
1 lemon, rind finely grated
For the filling
300g ricotta
200g marscapone
200g candied peel (citron and orange preferably), roughly chopped
120g caster sugar
6 eggs separated
Method
This is a delicious, inter-regional lemon tart recipe, using fresh ricotta cheese, typical of the south, and a little mascarpone, a cream cheese of the north. Try to get sheep’s milk ricotta if you can as it is much tastier.
For the pastry
400 g ready made puff pastry
a little plain flour for dusting
1 lemon, rind finely grated
For the filling
300g ricotta
200g marscapone
200g candied peel (citron and orange preferably), roughly chopped
120g caster sugar
6 eggs separated
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it is 2–3 mm thick. Lay over a 25 cm loose-based tart pan, and gently push the pastry into the base and up and over the sides. There will quite a bit of overhang. Cover with a damp cloth while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, mascarpone and candied peel with 100 g of the sugar and 5 of the egg yolks.
Put all 6 egg whites in another large, clean bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add the remaining sugar and continue whisking until stiff.
Using a large metal spoon, fold the whites through the ricotta mixture, then pour into the pastry-lined tart pan.
Fold in the overhanging pastry and brush with the reserved beaten egg yolk. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden and the filling retains a slight wobble.
Leave to cool for 2 hours, then scatter with lemon rind. Serve either on its own or with roasted pears
Roasted pears in red wine
To make them, tuck 8 pears into a suitably sized dish with high sides and bake in preheated 180°C oven for half an hour until the skins start to bubble. Pour over enough good red wine to cover, sprinkle with caster sugar and bake for another half an hour, by which time the wine will have reduced to a sweet syrup.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it is 2–3 mm thick. Lay over a 25 cm loose-based tart pan, and gently push the pastry into the base and up and over the sides. There will quite a bit of overhang. Cover with a damp cloth while you make the filling.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, mascarpone and candied peel with 100 g of the sugar and 5 of the egg yolks.
Put all 6 egg whites in another large, clean bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add the remaining sugar and continue whisking until stiff.
Using a large metal spoon, fold the whites through the ricotta mixture, then pour into the pastry-lined tart pan.
Fold in the overhanging pastry and brush with the reserved beaten egg yolk. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden and the filling retains a slight wobble.
Leave to cool for 2 hours, then scatter with lemon rind. Serve either on its own or with roasted pears
Roasted pears in red wine
To make them, tuck 8 pears into a suitably sized dish with high sides and bake in preheated 180°C oven for half an hour until the skins start to bubble. Pour over enough good red wine to cover, sprinkle with caster sugar and bake for another half an hour, by which time the wine will have reduced to a sweet syrup.
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced
(convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian
tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml;
1 cup equals 250 ml. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
