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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.