Torta di Ricotta con Miele di Tartufo Umbra
Umbria (Norcia area), central Italy
Umbria's restrained version of a ricotta tart — closer to a French clafoutis in texture than to a Neapolitan pastiera — using fresh ewe's milk ricotta from the Apennine farms around Norcia, sweetened only with local truffle honey (miele di tartufo) and flavoured with lemon zest, vanilla and a small quantity of flour as binder. The filling is a smooth emulsion of ricotta passed through a sieve, beaten egg yolks folded in progressively, truffle honey, lemon zest and vanilla, with the whites beaten to soft peaks and folded in last. Poured into a buttered and crumbed tart shell (pasta frolla con strutto — shortcrust made with lard rather than butter) and baked at 170°C for 35–40 minutes until just set with a slight wobble in the centre. Cooled completely before slicing.