Ingredients for a 28 cm diameter tart tin: For the shortcrust pastry:250 g plain flour (plus a handful to help roll out the dough and dust the tin)120 g butter (plus a knob to grease the tin)40 g unsweetened cocoa powder120 g sugar1 egg1 egg yolk1 untreated orange (the grated peel) *** For the filling:300 g fresh sheep’s milk ricotta2 tbsp icing sugar40 g chocolate chips2 Williams pears (sweet, ripe but not overly so)
To make the shortcrust pastry: cut the butter into small pieces and leave it out of the fridge until softened (at least 20 minutes). In a bowl, mix the sifted flour with the cocoa powder and sugar. Add the butter, the grated orange peel, the egg and extra yolk. Start mixing with a fork and then, when the dough becomes more compact, transfer it onto a work surface sprinkled with a little flour, and continue to work with your hands until you have a smooth, compact ball. Cover with a cotton tea towel and put it in the fridge to resto for at least 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile prepare the filling: press the ricotta through a sieve into a bowl and, using a whisk, mix it with the icing sugar, the chocolate chips and the pears (which you have peeled, cored and diced). When the dough has rested, place two thirds of it between two sheets of greaseproof paper on your work surface, and roll it out with a rolling pin. Shape it into a disk with a diameter 4 cm larger that the tin in which you will bake the tart. When the disk of pastry is ready, remove the sheet of paper on top and use the bottom sheet to turn it over onto the tart tin (which you have carefully greased and dusted with flour). Remove the paper and press the dough down firmly with your hands, including around the side. Prick the base here and there with a fork, pour in the ricotta filling prepared previously and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Now use the remaining third of the pastry to form the classic lattice on top. Bake the tart in a preheated oven, at 180 °C, for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool down, take it out of the tin and it’s ready to taste... and delicious!