Crostata di Visciole con Ricotta alla Romana-Ebraica

Ingredients

• For the short pastry
• 300 g tipo 00 flour
• 150 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 100 g caster sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 lemon, zest only, finely grated
• For the ricotta filling
• 500 g ricotta di pecora (sheep's milk ricotta), drained overnight through muslin
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, zest only, finely grated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the topping
• 300 g visciole (sour cherry) jam, not sweet commercial cherry jam; the acidity is essential
• For the finish
• 2 tbsp visciole jam, warmed and sieved, for glazing the lattice after baking

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and bring the dough together with a light hand — work it only until it coheres. Shape into a disc, wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds its shape without cracking at the edges when pressed.
2. 2
   Drain the ricotta thoroughly — excess moisture is the principal cause of a wet, sunken filling. Turn the drained ricotta into a bowl and beat in the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth and homogeneous. Set aside without cooking.
3. 3
   Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Divide the rested pastry: two-thirds for the shell, one-third for the lattice or top crust. Roll the larger portion to 3–4 mm and line a 24 cm tart tin, pressing the pastry into the base and sides without stretching it. Trim the overhang flush with the rim. The shell is ready when it sits flat against the tin with no air pockets beneath.
4. 4
   This is where the crostata lives or dies. Spread the ricotta filling evenly over the raw pastry shell in a single, level layer. Spoon the visciole jam over the ricotta and spread it to cover the surface completely and uniformly. The tartness of the jam must remain uncompromised — no substitution with sweet cherry preserves is permissible. The two layers must be distinct: ricotta white beneath, jam deep red above.
5. 5
   Roll the reserved pastry and cut into strips for a lattice, or roll to a disc for a full top crust in the historic ghetto style. Lay the lattice or set the top crust over the jam, pressing the edges to seal. Bake at 175 °C for 35–40 minutes. The crostata is done when the pastry is uniformly golden and the ricotta is just set — it should show the faintest resistance at the centre when the tin is gently shaken, with no liquid movement.
6. 6
   Remove from the oven and immediately brush the warm pastry lattice with the sieved, heated visciole jam to glaze. Allow the tart to cool completely in the tin. The crostata improves after 12 hours of rest: the jam sets further, its acidity permeates the pastry, and the filling firms to a clean slice. The surface glaze will be glossy and deep red; the pastry will release cleanly from the tin.