Magazine Mondays - Orange Ricotta Tart

Creampuff (from Creampuffs in Venice) had a great idea last year that I always thought that I'd try and adopt. And here is the fluffy ricotta orange zest honey egg yolk beginning of one orange ricotta tart.

Food magazines. I'm not the greatest for resisting those glossy covered magazines adorned with mouthwatering photos.. that wintery soup on the cover of the AGT or crackling covered roast on delicious (you know what I'm talking about). I love cooking and experimenting with savoury foods but with access to farmers markets, a great veggie garden and a darling local butcher, I rarely venture outside of the seasonal selction. I don't want to have to make special purchases out of season when nature's bounty is readily available and at it's best. Combine that with food experiences gained through travelling and I'm never at a loss for ideas (and potential experiments). My main weakness, however, when it comes to cookbooks would have to be my 'thing' for baking.

While there is an evident beauty in all produce, perhaps it is the dramatic transformation (not to mention therapeutic value) of nurturing flour, butter, eggs and/or yeast that I adore so much. Add to that cheese and simplicity, when I spied this gem in an edition of Fine Cooking.. the temptation was too much. It's quite similar, minus the cream, to my usual ricotta tart.

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Orange Ricotta Tart. Adapted from Fine Cooking.

2lb. ricotta (don't low fat out here, also can be a mixture of mostly ricotta and/or bakers cheese supplemented with a few good sized tablespoons of cream cheese)

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 Tbsp. unbleached flour

pinch of salt

2 or 3 egg yolks (I used 2 size 7 because I had them leftover from making meringue.)

Zest and juice of half an orange (or 1 Tbsp. orange liqueur)

1 recipe of your favourite sweet pastry (paté sucre) or crumb crust, baked and cooled.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the ricotta and/or mixture of cheeses (if using). I usually cannot resist a few good spoonfuls of fresh ricotta and fruit so I have to augment the amounts with something else.. Beat cheese at medium speed (with an electric mixer) until well blended and mixture is lump free.

Add sugar, flour, and salt and beat until well blended. Add the yolks, zest, and orange juice. Beat only until incorporated and with a rubber spatula, scrape the filling into the crust and spread evenly.

Bake the tart until the filling is nearly set (still a little wobbly). It will continue to set when removed from the oven. Approximately 30- 35 minutes. I've seen recipes that say to leave cheese cakes and tarts in the oven to cool but I removed this one from the oven and let it cool on a rack. Chill tart in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.