Ricotta, Hazelnut and Cumquat Crostata
If you’re looking for a baking project this weekend, make it this!
One of the things I love about food is how so often recipes are a product of what’s happening around us. What’s in season, where we’ve been, who we’ve spoken to. Every recipe has a story,
This crostata is inspired by my conversation with the divine Paola Bacchia (@italyonmymind) on Bakeology, and the crostata recipe in Paola’s second book Adriatico. I also chanced upon a cumquat tree when I was developing this recipe, so in a delightful twist of fate I was able to combine all of these inspirations into the beautiful crostata.
Let’s start with the pastry. This was a new type of pastry for me. It uses olive oil instead of butter, and has finally given me something to use the unloved bottle of Sambuca in. It’s an easy dough to come together (all the ingredients in the food processor) and unlike a traditional butter shortcrust, actually benefits from some kneading. The result is a stretchy, slightly fiddly, but forgiving dough that’s easy to patch up if needed. I learnt this first-hand!
The ricotta filling is rich, creamy and studded with knobbly chopped hazelnuts and anise seeds. The orange zest and the Cointreau add a lovely orange note that goes so well with the aniseed flavour. Try your best not to eat too much with a spoon before you put it in the tart!
Finally, the cumquat marmalade packs a much needed tarty punch and a bright orange glow that enlivens this crostata and reflects the gorgeous flavours within.
Full disclosure – this recipe does demand a bit of your time, particularly if you make all the components of this recipe from scratch. But I guarantee you it’s worth the effort.
Recipe tips
Don’t skip lining the tart tin! My first attempt of this recipe ended in delicious frustration because I didn’t line the tin with baking paper. As this pastry has no butter in it, it will stick if the tin isn’t lined.
The pastry dough is very forgiving, but does require some patience when lining the tin. It’s also quite elastic, so if it tears when you line your tart tin there’s no need to despair. You can use off-cuts to plug any holes.
I made cumquat marmalade for this crostata. It has a punch of tanginess that brings this crostata to life, so I recommend you give it a go if you have the time, and make it at least one day before you bake the rest of the crostata. However, you can easily swap this out for an orange or apricot marmalade, and it will still be delicious.
When you bake this, the crostata will puff up quite a lot. Don’t be alarmed! This is supposed to happen, and is why the tart case isn’t filled right to the brim with the ricotta filling.
I served this with a dollop of whipped yoghurt (the recipe is below!). It’s silky smooth and has a subtle sour creaminess that’s a surprising and delicious twist to traditional whipped cream.
Watch my how-to video on Instagram
INGREDIENTS
Cumquat marmalade (you can substitute this for a nice orange or apricot marmalade from the shops instead)
400g Cumquats
380g caster sugar
1 tsp anise seeds
500g water
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pastry (from Paola Bacchia’s book Adriatico)
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
125g caster sugar
1 egg, room temperature
45ml milk
45ml olive oil
20ml sambuca
Filling
450g fresh ricotta, drained, close to room temperature
100g caster sugar
120g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 orange (reserve the juice for the whipped yogurt)
45ml Cointreau
400g kumquat marmalade (or orange marmalade)
Whipped yogurt
200ml thickened cream
200g full fat Greek yogurt
30g honey
Juice from one orange
METHOD
Cumquat Marmalade – skip this if you’re using a pre-made marmalade or jam
Slice the cumquats into 5mm slices – turning each kumquat into about 3-4 slices depending on their size. Remove any pips you can, but don’t stress about getting them all.
Roughly chop the cumquat slices and then pour them and any juices into a large saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Leave to macerate for 2-3 hours.
Place over a medium-high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and then bring to the boil.
Once at the boil, reduce the heat so the marmalade happily simmers away. Continue simmering, and stirring regularly, until the marmalade reduces and reaches between 105-110 degrees C on a thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use the plate test. It took my marmalade about 40-50 minutes to reduce, but your time may vary depending how high you have the stove, so watch the marmalade carefully.
Once the marmalade is at the desired temperature, take off the heat and transfer to a heat proof container or sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool.
Pastry
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C, and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with baking paper. I use a single, round piece of baking paper for this. Please don’t skip this step, as the pastry will stick to the tin if it’s not lined – I learnt this the hard way!
Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the dough forms a ball.
On a generously floured bench, knead the dough for a couple of minutes until smooth.
Divide the dough into two portions – two-thirds for the base, and one third for the lattice top. Cover the small portion with a damp, clean tea towel and set aside.
On a floured bench, roll out the large pastry portion for the base of the crostata. Remember to flip the pastry and re-flour the bench to prevent the dough from sticking.
Once the dough is large enough to cover the base and sides of the tart tin, carefully place the pastry in to prepared tin. This pastry is quite forgiving and elastic, so don’t worry if it tears. You can easily patch it up (like I did!) with off-cuts.
Use your fingers to press the pastry into the corners and flutes of the tin and trim the edges. Set aside and make the filling.
For the filling
Place the ricotta, sugar and the eggs in a large bowl and beat with hand beaters until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat to combine.
Assemble and bake
Gently pour the ricotta filling into the lined tart tin and smooth out.
Place your marmalade (or jam) in a bowl and heat in the microwave in 10 second bursts to loosen the marmalade and make it easier to spread. Be careful not to overheat the marmalade.
Gently spoon the marmalade over the ricotta filling and smooth out, leaving a 2cm border between the jam and the pastry.
Roll out the reserved pastry to 3-5mm thick and slice into strips. Gently place these on the top of the crostata to make a diamond lattice shape. I didn’t worry about creating an ‘over-under’ lattice – it tastes and looks beautiful without it, and who needs that stress!?
Press the lattice into the sides to attach it to the base.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden. The tart will rise significantly as it bakes.
Once it’s baked, leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides. Leave the crostata on the base and set aside to cool completely.
Serve with a dollop of whipped yoghurt or standard whipped cream.
Whipped Yogurt
Using hand beaters with a whisk attachment (or a manual whisk), whisk the cream to very soft peaks.
Add the remaining ingredients and whip until it’s a gorgeous soft, light, plush texture,
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The Crostata will soften as time passes.
