P
Corsican
Torta di Brocciu — Corsican Easter Cheese Tart
Open tart with Triticum aestivum plain-flour and unsalted-butter shortcrust shell filled with Brocciu AOP, caster-sugar, Gallus gallus domesticus eggs, lemon zest, and Pimpinella anisum liqueur. The filling sets to a soft, creamy result — not solid, not liquid. Brocciu AOP used fresh (bianco), strained of excess whey. Easter-specific because Brocciu AOP produced only November to June. Served at room temperature, dusted with icing-sugar.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the shortcrust shell
200 g
plain flour (Triticum aestivum)
sifted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
unsalted butter
cold, cut into small cubes
Your own market
1 pinch
fine salt
Your own market
30 ml
cold water
added gradually
Your own market
For the filling
500 g
Brocciu AOP (fresh, bianco)
strained through muslin for 30 minutes to remove excess whey
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3
eggs (Gallus gallus domesticus)
at room temperature
Your own market
100 g
caster sugar
Your own market
1
unwaxed lemon
zest only, preferably untreated island fruit
Your own market
30 ml
anise liqueur (Pimpinella anisum-based)
aquavita corsa or equivalent island anise spirit
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To finish
15 g
icing sugar
for dusting at service
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Rub the cold butter into the sifted flour and salt with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add cold water gradually, bringing the dough together without overworking. Form 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.
2
Roll the rested dough to a thickness of 3–4 mm and line a 22–24 cm tart tin. Trim the edges. Blind-bake at 180 °C for 15 minutes with baking weights, then remove the weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. The shell is ready when the base is dry to the touch and the edges are just beginning to colour to pale gold.
3
While the shell blind-bakes, place the muslin-strained Brocciu AOP in a bowl. Beat the eggs lightly and fold into the cheese with the caster sugar, lemon zest, and anise liqueur. Work the mixture until just combined and smooth — do not aerate. The filling is ready when it falls from the spoon in a slow, heavy ribbon with no lumps of unincorporated curd.
From the canon — Brocciu is the foundational dairy product of Corsican cuisine — not simply a cheese but a culinary system. Brocciu AOP — Corsican Whey Cheese: Seasonal Production and Technique →
4
Pour the filling into the blind-baked shell. Transfer to the oven at 160 °C — this is where the dish lives or dies: baking above 170 °C cracks the surface and drives off the soft, creamy set that defines the tart. Bake for 30–35 minutes. Remove when the edges are set and pale ivory and the centre still carries a distinct, gentle wobble; carry-over cooking will complete the set.
5
Allow the tart to cool completely in the tin at room temperature. Do not refrigerate before service — cold firms the Brocciu AOP excessively. Dust with icing sugar immediately before serving. The finished surface should be pale ivory with a slight sheen and no cracks.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Brocciu AOP sourced directly from a Corsican shepherd within 24 hours of production; eggs from free-range Corsican farm flocks; zest from untreated island lemons; aquavita corsa as the anise spirit.
02
Estate — Brocciu AOP purchased from a licensed Corsican affineur, fresh bianco grade confirmed; good-quality free-range eggs; unwaxed continental lemon; quality French pastis or anise liqueur.
03
Market — Brocciu AOP imported fresh and well within date, strained as directed; standard free-range eggs; unwaxed supermarket lemon; commercially available anise liqueur.
04
House — Fresh ricotta strained and drained as a substitute where Brocciu AOP is unobtainable — the result approximates the texture but loses the characteristic ovine-caprine flavour of the AOP; all other ingredients as Market.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Pale ivory set filling with a slight sheen and no surface cracks when removed from the oven.
◇Touch. A distinct, gentle wobble at the centre of the tart when the tin is nudged — the edges are fully set.
◇Smell. Fresh dairy warmth with a background of lemon and anise rising from the oven — no sharpness or scorched note.
◇Where it lives or dies. The oven must hold at 160 °C throughout the bake — any higher and the surface cracks, the curd tightens, and the soft, creamy interior the tart exists to deliver is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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