Torta di ricotta

You can make a chocolate-flavoured variation of this, you can add 25g of cocoa powder along with the flour when you make the pastry cream. The quantity of pastry given here is enough for two tarts, because it is much easier to work the pastry

Ingredients
450g good fresh ricotta
80g almonds, chopped
80g sultanas
the zest of 2 lemons
5 egg whites
75g caster sugar

For the pastry
the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
150g unsalted butter
85g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
250g plain flour
25g ground almonds

For the pastry cream
300ml milk
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
140g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
30g plain flour  

Serves 6

To make the pastry, put the vanilla seeds with the butter and sugar into a food mixer with a pastry paddle. Whiz for three minutes, until pale and creamy. While the motor is running, mix in the egg yolks, one by one, then add the flour and ground almonds. As soon as it is all mixed, turn out the pastry, wrap in clingfilm, and leave in the fridge for an hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Roll the pastry into a circle about 5mm thick and use it to line a 20cm tart tin. Line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for five to seven minutes, until the pastry has dried out, but not coloured. Take out of the oven, remove the greaseproof paper and beans, and put to one side.

To make the pastry cream, warm the milk in a pan to just below simmering point, then take off the heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and flour, then add to the warm milk and return to the heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. Take the pan off the heat, leave to cool, then put through a fine sieve to make sure there are no lumps.

Add the ricotta, almonds, sultanas and lemon zest to the pastry cream. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with the sugar until they form peaks, then add to the mixture. Pour into the pastry case, sprinkle some sugar on top and put back into the oven for 25-35 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.