Imbrucciata — Open Brocciu Tart

Ingredients

• For the pâte brisée
• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g lard or unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 40 ml cold water, added gradually
• For the filling
• 500 g fresh brocciu, well-drained, minimum 48 hours
• 3 eggs
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 lemon or cédrat, zest only, finely grated
• 1 tbsp eau-de-vie
• Optional — pro finish
• 1 tbsp brocciu passu, aged, finely grated; stirred into filling

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold lard or butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large fat pieces remaining. Add cold water gradually, bringing the dough together with minimal working. Wrap and rest in a cool place for at least 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds cleanly without sticking and shows no elasticity when pressed.
2. 2
   Roll the rested pastry thin on a lightly floured surface and line a 24 cm tart tin. Trim the edges, prick the base with a fork, line with baking parchment, and fill with baking weights or dried pulses. Blind-bake at 170 °C until the pastry is set and the exposed rim is pale gold. Remove the weights and parchment; return the case to the oven for a further few minutes until the base is dry to the touch and very lightly coloured. This is where the dish lives or dies: a pastry case that is not fully pre-set will collapse to a sodden base under the weight and moisture of the brocciu filling.
3. 3
   Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly with the caster sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is pale but not aerated. Work the well-drained brocciu through a sieve or break it down with a fork until smooth, then fold into the egg-sugar mixture. Add the lemon or cédrat zest and the eau-de-vie. If using, stir in the finely grated brocciu passu. The filling should be cohesive, lightly scented with citrus, and carry no pooling liquid — if water weeps from the brocciu as you work, pour it off.
4. 4
   Pour the filling into the blind-baked pastry case and level the surface gently with a spatula. Bake at 170 °C until the filling is just set: the centre should tremble very slightly when the tin is moved but show no liquid motion, and the surface should be pale ivory with no cracking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature in the tin before slicing.
5. 5
   Serve at room temperature. The filling should taste of clean brocciu dairy, lightly sweet, with a clear citrus-zest note and the faint warmth of eau-de-vie. Pastry provides the textural contrast. Refrigerator temperature suppresses the brocciu flavour; do not serve cold.