Almond and fruit of the forest crostata with ricotta

Hey, I am back after a little break!

Sometimes I don’t know where the times goes. I think of the times when I used to blog full time whilst looking after the children. Now I have less time to test recipes but I do enjoy it even more when I can get in the kitchen and be creative. Going back to the workplace after over a decade at home has been challenging at times but I do feel quite settled now in my job and I can now begin to think of nice recipes again. This interest of mine never seems to fade away, it will always be there, no matter what.

Now, when I get home in the evenings, meals have to be quick and nutritious as time is limited but so far we have managed quite well. I have also adventured into Indian dishes as one of my collegues is Indian. At lunch time we go out together for a walk in the beautiful green English countryside (at this time of year there are lambs too!) and we often chat about food. I got very nice tips and recipes from her.

Easter has been and gone and I didn’t have the time to post anything but I made a nice tart with a filling of ground almonds, ricotta and mixed berries which I bought frozen this time. I absolutely loved the bright violet/bluish colours that the berries gave to the filling. This tart taste fresh and it is moreish.

As always, whenever you make shortcrust pastry do remember to work quickly to avoid overheating the pastry with your hands. One way of doing it is to put the ingredients in a blender and then finish off with your hands. If you handle the pastry too much you will end up with a hard pastry after cooking it.

• Prep Time : 35 minutes
• Cook Time : 50 minutes
• Yield : 6

Ingredients

• For the tart:
• plain flour ( I used spelt) – 250 g – 2 cups + 2 tbsp
• butter – 150 g – ⅔ cup
• eggs – 1
• sugar – 70 g – ⅓ cup
• lemon zest – of 1 lemon
• For the fillling:
• ground almonds – 300 g – 2 + 1/2 cup
• ricotta cheese – 250 g – 1 + 1/8 cup
• sugar – 120 g – ⅔ cup
• eggs – 2
• lemon zest – of 1 lemon
• vanilla essence – 1 tsp
• mixed frozen fruit of the forest – 300 g – 3 cups
• almond flakes – 2 tbsp
• vanilla powdered sugar – to sprinkle

Instructions

First take the berries out of the freezer to defrost.

Make the pastry by putting the flour in a heap on your worktop.  Make a hole in the middle and add the egg, the sugar, the lemon zest and the butter diced into cubes.

Quickly incorporate the ingredients with your hands and form a ball then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes wrapped in cling film.

Using a rolling pin roll the dough and place it in a greased tin for tarts of approximately 25 cm or 10 inch diameter. Help yourself with a little bit of extra flour if the pastry still feels a little sticky. Prick the base with a fork.

Bake the pastry for 12 to 15 minutes in a hot oven at 180C or 350 F.

Make the filling by mixing the ricotta with the ground almonds, the sugar, the vanilla essence, the lemon zest and the berries. Leave only a few berries aside for the final decoration.

Take the tart out of the oven and pour the filling on it levelling well. Wet the almond flakes with a little water and sprinkle them on the filling. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden on top.

Let the tart cool down. Carefully remove it from the tin and decorate it with the remaining berries and the powdered vanilla sugar.

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