Crostata di Ricotta - November Daring Baker's Challenge, Take 1

November's Daring Baker challenge is fun, it's crostatas... Italian tarts.  Pasta frolla and hmm whatever topping you fancy!


I actually made 2 crostatas, Crostata di Ricotta, Ricotta tarte, and Crostata di Mele, Classic Apple tarte. I love making tarts and the pasta frolla dough is lovely, pastry is short, sweet and yummy.


I'm posting the Crostata di Ricotta first as this is the one featured in the Daring Kitchen page.

Thanks Simona from Briciole for this wonderful challenge, and the wonderful crostata recipes!

My yummy Crostata di Ricotta:


Pastry – Pasta Frolla:

200g plain flour (or 150g plain flour 50g almond meal)
100g cold butter diced
1 tbsp orange zest
1 egg, separated
70g castor sugar
1 pinch of salt

Fillings:

100g pitted dates, diced
40g candied peels, diced
50ml masala
375g ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g mascarpone cheese or any cream cheese
110g castor sugar
100g toasted almond (or any walnut, hazelnut etc)
3 eggs


Method:


Use food processor, pulse to break down butter mix till it resembles bread crumbs.
Gently work the flour mixture to form a dough, don’t over work dough, wrap in cling wrap and put in fridge to rest for an hour.

Meanwhile, put chopped dates and peels in masala to soak for half an hour.
Whisk eggs and sugar, add in ricotta, cream mascarpone till smooth.
Fold in the fruits and almond.
Roll out pastry in 2 layers of plastic. Gently transform to a loose bottom tarte tin. Wrap the excess pastry in glad wrap and put in fridge.

Blind bake tarte shell with rice weight in 200C oven for 10 minutes. Cool.

Fill up with the filling, make stripes to go across, and bake in 180C oven for 40-45 minutes.

 

I did use the reduced fat cheeses for healthy reasons....
 

Crostata to be served warm...