Crostata alla ricotta (ricotta tart)

Method

Shortcrust pastry

1. 1 Let the butter soften at room temperature, then cut it into cubes and place it in a bowl.
2. 2 Add the sugar and work the mixture by hand or with a whisk until creamy.
3. 3 Add the eggs, mixing well without worrying if the dough initially appears unbound.
4. 4 At this point, pour in all the flour at once, the salt and the vanillin and start kneading with your hands (preferably cold). As soon as the flour is absorbed, transfer the mixture to a work surface and knead very quickly to make it homogeneous. It is essential to work the shortcrust pastry as little as possible: in this way you will avoid heating the butter excessively and developing the gluten network, which would make the dough elastic instead of crumbly. Finally, shape the dough into a block and wrap it in cling film.

Filling

5. 5 Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a whisk until you obtain a homogeneous cream.

Baking

6. 6 Roll out the shortcrust pastry and place it in a round baking tin (I use a 24 cm one).
7. 7 Pour your cream inside, taking care to leave at least half a centimeter of pastry on the edges: during baking, in fact, the cream will puff up.
8. 8 For an extra touch, set aside a little dough to decorate the surface; you can create a traditional diamond pattern with strips, or have fun cutting out original shapes with cookie cutters.
9. 9 Bake in the oven at 180° top and bottom heat for 45 minutes.