RICOTTA and MUESLI CROSTATA
By Chef Francesca Matteuzzi
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients for the crust:
Ingredients for the crust:
500 grams 00 flour (4 cups)
140 grams powder sugar (a little more than 1 cup)
250 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks butter + 2 tablespoons)
1 whole egg
3 egg yolks
The zest of one orange
Ingredients for the filling:
250 grams cow’s milk ricotta, strained (about 1/2 Lb)
100 grams heavy cream (about 1/2 cup)
100 grams dark chocolate chips (2/3 cup)
40 grams powder sugar (5 tablespoons )
1 egg
1 drop neroli essential oil or orange zest
Chocolate muesli or granola, as much as you like
Directions:
1) Riscaldare il forno. Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
2) Preparare la pasta frolla. Place all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Wrap it in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
If you don’t have a food processor, no worries, you can do the old fashioned way: a mano! Make a well with the flour and in the center place the sugar, butter and eggs. Mix all the ingredients quickly and then refrigerate.
3) Preparare la farcia. In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta cheese with the powder sugar until smooth. Stir in the cream, egg, chocolate and orange zest (or neroli oil).
4) Assemblare la crostata. Roll out the dough and transfer to an 9 or 10 inch-pie dish then trim the dish of any extra dough. Prick the crust with the tongs of a fork, then fill the pastry shell with the ricotta crema. Cover with muesli or granola and then with the extra dough make strips to create a lattice finish.
5) Infornare. Bake for about 40 minutes. Let it cool and sprinkle with powder sugar.
For the recipe in Italian, please visit Francesca’s website at https://www.panezucchero.it/torta-ricotta-e-muesli
Chef Francesca’s baking tips:
With any extra dough you can make some cookies with brown sugar on top.
With the leftover egg whites you can either make meringues or you can prepare a kind of cookies that I personally call ‘’Biscotti al niente” - 100 grams flour, 100 grams egg whites, 100 grams sugar, 100 grams nuts.