Blueberry and Ricotta Tart

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 8-10

Ingredients

300g fresh ricotta, well drained

2 eggs

1 lemon, zest finely grated

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

75g (1/3 cup) brown sugar

300g (2 cups) blueberries

½ lemon, juiced

1 quantity of iced-water short pastry

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 30 x 10cm fluted tart tin with a removable base.

Cream ricotta by breaking it up in a bowl with the back of a fork.

Place the ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with lemon juice and remaining sugar, pressing them lightly with a fork, so that some are crushed and some are left whole.

Make and rest the pastry as instructed. Roll it out to 5mm thick. Line the prepared tin with the pastry, allowing some extra to come up above the rim. Run the rolling pin over the tin to trim off the excess pastry and prick the base with a fork. Wrap any remaining pastry in plastic film for another use and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Spread the ricotta mixture over the base, then top with two-thirds of the blueberry mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely in the tin before removing. Serve with the remaining blueberry mixture drizzled over the top.

Iced-Water Short Pastry

Ingredients:

150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

300g (2 cups) plain or OO flour

1 ½ tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

2-3 tbsp ice water

Method:

Place the butter, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a blade and pulse 10-12 times, adding the iced water as needed, until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Tip it onto your bench and press together with your hands to form a soft, smooth ball.

If you prefer to make the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and salt, gradually pour in the water and mix to form a smooth dough, then press into a ball.

Cover the dough with plastic film and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.