Ricotta, verjuice, apricot and Tokay crostata
SERVES 8 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION TIME)
1 cup (150g) dried apricots ⅓ cup (80ml) verjuice ¼ cup (60ml) water 2 tablespoons honey 5cm stem of rosemary 325g fresh ricotta ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar ¼ cup (60ml) cream ¼ cup (60ml) Tokay (fortified wine) 1 free-range egg finely grated rind of 1 lemon 1 free-range egg, extra, beaten lightly, to brush icing sugar, to dust
PASTRY
2⅔ cups (400g) plain flour 275g unsalted cold butter, chopped ⅔ cup (150g) caster sugar finely grated rind of 1 lemon 1 free-range egg 1 free-range egg yolk 1 PASTRY Place the flour, butter, sugar and lemon rind and a pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg and egg yolk together. With the food processor running, add the egg mixture and continue to mix until the pastry starts to come together. Remove the dough from the food processor and lightly knead until smooth, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, place the apricots into a microwave-safe bowl, pour over the verjuice and the water, and microwave for 4 minutes on the Defrost setting, then remove from the microwave and stand for 10 minutes. Drain the apricots; reserve the liquid. Chop the apricots finely. 3 Place the reserved apricot liquid, honey and rosemary in a small frying pan. Place over medium-to-low heat and allow to gently simmer for 1-2 minutes or until syrupy. Add the chopped apricots and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes over mediumhigh heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Discard rosemary. 4 Grease a 24cm round loose-based flan tin. On a lightly floured bench, roll two-thirds of the pastry out into a 30cm circle about ½cm thick; ease into prepared tin. Press into the sides; trim edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 5 Roll out the remaining pastry into a 22cm x 28cm rectangle, about 3mm thick. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut 10 x 25cm x 2cm strips of pastry. Place strips onto a baking paper lined-tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 6 Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced). 7 Remove the tart tin from the refrigerator; line pastry with baking paper and fill with baking weights. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the baking paper and weights, and bake for a further 5 minutes or until base starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven; set aside. 8 Place the ricotta and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cream, Tokay, egg, lemon rind and verjuice apricots, and gently mix together until all are well combined. 9 Spoon ricotta mixture into the tart shell; arrange the pastry strips in a lattice pattern on top. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.
Not suitable to freeze or microwave.