I’m not even going to pretend that I’m being healthy with this recipe for Torta di Cioccolato e Ricotta or Chocolate and Ricotta Tart.  This tart is very rich so it is best to serve it in small portions.  I found the recipe in Toby Puttock’s Cook Like An Italian though there was a problem.  I don’t know if I had a faulty copy of the book or if some other library borrower had ripped it out but the page containing the recipe for the pastry was missing.  I substituted my own recipe so I’ll have to say this is Toby Puttock’s filling with my old recipe for sweet pastry.

Torta di Ciccolato e Ricotta or Chocolate and Ricotta Tart

Rich and delicious

Ingredients  

For the pastry:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup flour

1 egg

a few drops of vanilla extract

For the filling:

320g fresh ricotta

70g caster sugar

3 free range eggs

60g blanched almonds, finely sliced

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 orange

120g dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated

1 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla pod

icing sugar and cocoa to dust

Method  

For the pastry:  Rub butter into sifted flours until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add sugar and vanilla and mix to a dough with beaten egg – you may also need a tbs of water to bring the dough together.  Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 20 mins.

For the filling:  Combine ricotta and sugar in a large bowl.  Using a wooden spoon, add the eggs one at a time.  Add the almonds, citrus zest, chocolate and vanilla.  Mix well with the wooden spoon.  Cover and refrigerate 20 mins.

Grease a 25 cm loose-bottomed flan tin with butter.  Roll out the pastry to 3-4 mm thick between two pieces of cling film.  Lift the top layer of cling film off the rolled-out dough and flip the dough over to drape over the tin, using your fingers to push it into the corners and sides.  Peel off the cling film and refrigerate the case for a further 20 mins.  (I had some pastry left over, I stored this in the refrigerator to be used in the next day or two for something else).

Preheat the oven to 200c.  Blind bake the pastry case for 15 mins. or until lightly coloured.  Cool, then  fill the pastry case with the ricotta mixture, smoothing it with a spoon.  Reduce oven temperature to 180c and bake for 30-40 mins or until the pastry is golden.  Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool.  Dust with cocoa and icing sugar mixture.

Torta di Cioccolato e Ricotta