Blueberry, almond butter and ricotta crostata with thyme-infused honey

A rustic free-form tart that’s easy to throw together and delicious hot or cold THE FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS

CROSTATA PASTRY

125g cake flour + extra, to dust 60ml (4 tbsp) semolina flour 30ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar 30ml (2 tbsp) ice water 2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence 115g salted butter, at room temperature

FILLING

100g ricotta 170g honey 90g almond butter 1 large egg 10ml (2 tsp) cake flour 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence pinch salt 60g fresh breadcrumbs 140g blueberries 1 large whisked egg, to brush

THYME-INFUSED HONEY

170g honey 8 sprigs fresh thyme ready-made vanilla ice cream to serve, fresh mint to garnish (optional)

HOW TO DO IT

1. For the crostata pastry, place the 125g cake flour, the semolina flour and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Keep the motor of the processor running while adding the ice water, 2,5ml vanilla essence and the salted bu er. Stop once the mixture is incorporated and pulls away from the sides of the processor. Fla en the pastry into a disc, cover with cling film and refrigerate, 30 minutes.

2. For the filling, place the rico a, honey, almond bu er, egg, 10ml cake flour, 5ml vanilla essence, pinch salt and breadcrumbs in a food processor. Blitz until smooth and stir in the breadcrumbs.

3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and leave it to rest, 5 minutes, to reach room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

4. Cut a piece of baking paper to fit a standard baking tray. Place the paper on a clean surface and dust it with a li le cake flour. Dust the rolling pin with cake flour as well. Roll the pastry out on the floured baking paper into a disc that is approximately 0.4cm thick. Li the baking paper with the rolled out pastry into the baking tray.

5. Spoon the filling in the centre of the pastry disc and leave a 3cm border all around the filling. Sca er the blueberries on top of the filling and then fold the border over the filling to prevent it from spilling out. Pinch any torn or cracked bits of pastry together and make sure the base has no leaks. Brush the pastry with the whisked egg and refrigerate in the tray, 15 minutes.

6. Bake the pastry until firm and golden, 25–30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tray.

7. For the infused honey, add the honey and thyme to a saucepan and heat until just warm. Remove from heat and allow to infuse, 20 minutes.

8. To serve, top each slice of crostata with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with a li le thyme-infused honey and garnish with fresh mint, if desired.