Roasted Grape, Walnut and Ricotta Crostata
Simple, yet impressive, the components of this Italian-style tart can be prepared earlier and simply assembled and baked when required. It’s delicious with other seasonal fruit – try slices of fresh fig, feijoa or frozen berries.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
140g flour
50g semolina
50g sugar
100g cold butter, diced
4 Tbsp iced water
For the filling:
250g grapes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp runny honey, plus extra for drizzling
250g ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp walnut pieces
2 Tbsp Demerara sugar
Mint leaves for garnishing
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
Put the flour, semolina, and sugar into a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the diced butter and process to a coarse crumb. Add the iced water and pulse until the dough is lumpy but coming together.
Transfer the pastry to a clean benchtop and bring it together with your hands. Shape into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Once chilled, roll the pastry onto a piece of baking paper into a thin round. Place on a baking tray and put in the fridge until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
In a bowl, combine the grapes with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey. Set aside. Mix the remaining honey with the ricotta and spread the mix over the pastry, leaving a 4cm gap from the edges. Place the grapes evenly over the ricotta and scatter over the walnuts. Fold the pastry edges slightly over the edge of the filling to create a crust, then sprinkle over the Demerara sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 200°C and bake for a further 25 minutes until the pastry and filling are golden. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with extra honey, top with a few mint leaves, and serve with yoghurt, vanilla ice cream, or dollops of whipped cream.