Ricotta tart

Serves 6 Desserts and puddings

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Method

If you want to make a chocolate- flavoured variation, add 25g cocoa powder along with the flour when you make the pastry cream. The quantity of pastry given is enough for two tarts, because it is much easier to work the pastry if you make it in bigger quantities. You can freeze what you don’t need.

To make the pastry, put the vanilla seeds, butter and sugar into a food mixer fitted with a pastry paddle. Whiz for 3 minutes, until pale and creamy. While the motor running, mix in the egg yolks, one by one, then add the flour and ground almonds. As soon as it is all mixed, turn out the pastry, wrap in cling film, and leave in the fridge for about 1 hour to rest.

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. Roll the pastry out into a circle about 5mm thick and use it to line a 20cm tart tin. Line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 5-7 minutes, until the pastry has dried out, but not coloured. Take the tin out of the oven, remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans and put it to one side.

To make the pastry cream, warm the milk in a pan to just below simmering point, then take off the heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and flour, then add to the warm milk. Return to the heat, leave to cool, then press through a fine sieve to make sure there are no lumps.

Add the ricotta, almonds, sultanas and lemon zest to the pastry cream. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with the sugar until they form soft peaks, then add them to the mixture. Pour into the pastry case and sprinkle caster sugar on top. Return the tart to the oven for 25-35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.