Fig and ricotta tart is a delicious Italian dessert, typical of late summer, when figs are at their peak taste.
This Italian tart consists of a pasta frolla crust filled with a delicious ricotta cream and finally topped with fresh figs. The flavor of ricotta and that of figs blend perfectly in this terrific crostata!
Fig and Ricotta Tart is very easy to make and you can prapare it quite quickly. You just need to bake the shortcrust pastry crust while you prepare the filling, which needs no baking.You can make it with any kind of figs, from green to black ones. In this recipe we used purple-black figs, the most common in September in Italy.
You can serve Ricotta and fresh fig tart for breakfast or as a snack. Since it's an elegant crostata recipe, it's perfect as a dessert after a dinner party or for a special occasion.
To make this crostata spectacular not only in taste but also to the eye, arrange the fig wedges in a radial pattern and garnish them with a handful of almond slivers.
The result will be an Italian crostata that combines the sugary taste of the figs and the softness of the ricotta with the crispness of the pasta frolla. A real treat with which you will have great success!
So let's see together how to prepare Fig and Ricotta Tart Recipe!
Ingredients
Prep Time:
- For shortcrust pastry: 15 Min + at least 1 hour to cool in the fridge
- For Ricotta cream: 15 Min
- For the tart: 15 Min
Cook Time:
- For shortcrust pastry: 30 Min + at least 1 hour to cool at room temperature
Servings: 6 people
These are the doses to make about 500 g (1,1 lb) of pasta frolla for a tart crust baked in a tart pan of about 22 cm ( 9 inch) in diameter
For the Pasta Frolla
- 250 g (1 ⅔ cups) of "00" flour
- 100 g (½ cup) of granulated sugar
- 120 g (~1 stick) of unsalted cold butter
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- zest of ½ lemon (optional)
- ⅙ teaspoon of fine salt
For the Ricotta Cream
- 400 g (14 oz) of ricotta cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk (about this ingredient read the last paragraph)
- 100 g (½ cup) of granulated sugar
- 250 ml (1 cup) of whipping cream
- zest of ½ lemon
For Decoration
- 500 g (1.1 pound) of fresh figs
- 1 tablespoon of almond slivers
See Also:
- Italian Crostata Recipe
- Easy Italian Apple Cake | Torta di Mele
- Torta della Nonna | Italian Grandmother’s Cake
- Italian Cheesecake with Ricotta and Mascarpone
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- One of the challenges of Fig and Ricotta Crostata is to remove the tart crust, once cooked, from the tart pan. You have to do it very gently so as not to break the shortcrust pastry shell. For this reason it's very helpful to use a tart pan with removable bottom. We recommend this set of 3 round tart pans, 11, 9 and 4 inch, the latter useful for making mini tarts.
- Another tricky thing to do in this recipe is to bake the tart shell without it puffing up. The first trick is to pierce the pastry with a fork. The second is to fill the pan with special tart weights. You can also use beans or rice. We used these pie weights beans made of food grade ceramic stoneware. It can also be an original gift for a friend who loves to bake!
Instructions
First of all, to make the Ricotta and Fig Tart you need to prepare the Italian sweet shortcrust pastry (pasta frolla). This is the main preparation and the only one that requires cooking.
Make the Pasta Frolla
Step 1) - Place the flour on a work surface and make a hole in the center. Pour in the sugar, lemon zest (optional), salt and eggs at room temperature.
Step 2) - Mix and add the cold butter. Knead quickly until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Step 3)- Shape into a loaf, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
For more details, tips, methods and informations about Italian sweet shortcrust pastry (pasta frolla), read our more detailed recipe: Pasta Frolla Recipe
Make the Ricotta Cream
While the pasta frolla chills in the refrigerator, prepare the ricotta cream.
Step 1) - Drain the ricotta in a colander to remove its liquids. Then place the ricotta in a bowl and mix to make it creamy.
Finally add the sugar and mix well until smooth.
Step 2) - Whip the whipping cream.
Step 3) - Add the grated lemon zest and, stirring gently, incorporate the whipped cream into the ricotta.
Ricotta cream is ready! Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the Tart Crust
Step 1) - Take the pasta frolla from the refrigerator and roll it out to a thickness of about ½ cm (¼ inch).
Step 2) - Place the pasta frolla in a tart mold, lined with baking paper. Preferably with the removable bottom, so you will not have difficulty to pull out the tart once baked.
Cut off the excess edges of dough with the help of a rolling pin as in the pictures.
Step 3) - Prick the bottom of the tart crust with the prongs of a fork. Then place a sheet of baking paper on the tart crust.
Step 4) - Add rice, beans or the special ceramic weights beans for tarts and pies. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350 F) for about 20 minutes.
Lift and remove the parchment paper with the weights and let the tart crust bake for another 5 minutes. Finally, take it out of the oven and let the tart crust cool completely.
In the next steps we'll see how to assemble all the preparations and make a terrific Fig and Ricotta tart!
Assemble the Preparations
Step 1) - Finally, only when the pastry shell is cold enough can you go ahead and fill your tart with the ricotta cream.
So, pour the cream into the pasta frolla crust with the help of a pastry bag or spoon, leveling it very well.
Step 2) - Now you can top the tart with fresh figs. The figs should be well ripe but not too soft.
Wash them gently under water and then dry them with a cloth or kitchen paper.
You can cut the figs into thin rounds or wedges, as you prefer.
Arrange the wedges in concentric circles with the skin side down. Cover the entire surface.
Decorate with almond slivers and serve.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Italian Fruit Tart | crostata di Frutta
- White Chocolate Fruit Tart
- Easy Homemade Fresh Fig Cake Recipe
- Italian Grape Tartlets Recipe with Pastry Cream
- Italian Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
- Chocolate Fig Cake with Ricotta
Storage
Keep your Ricotta and Figs tart for 1-2 days maximum in the refrigerator, possibly covered with a glass cake dome.
Sweet shortcrust pastry can be frozen raw, while freezing the finished tart is not recommended.
Variations and Substitutes
- RICOTTA: Any type of ricotta is fine for this recipe, as long as it's very fresh and of excellent quality. We used sheep's milk ricotta because it's more flavorful and creates a pleasant contrast with the sweetness of the figs. However, if you prefer a milder taste, replace the sheep's ricotta with cow's ricotta or simply reverse the doses of whipped cream and ricotta.
- NUTS: If you want to further enrich your tart, you can decorate it by adding other dried fruits in addition to almonds. For example, you can insert walnut kernels between the figs or sprinkle the surface with chopped pistachios or hazelnuts.
- CREAM: Instead of ricotta cream, you can also try delicious Italian mascarpone cream, the one used for the famous tiramisu recipe so to speak. This cream goes perfectly with figs and has a very delicate flavor.
Recipe Card
Fresh Fig and Ricotta Tart Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pasta Frolla
- 250 g flour - 1 ⅔ cups
- 100 g granulated sugar - ½ cup
- 120 g butter - ~1 stick (unsalted and cold)
- 1 egg - at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk - at room temperature
- ½ lemon zest (optional)
- ⅙ teaspoon salt
For the Ricotta Cream
- 400 g ricotta cheese - 14 oz
- 100 g granulated sugar - ½ cup
- 250 ml whipping cream - 1 cup
- ½ lemon zest
For Decoration
- 500 g figs - 1.1 pound (fresh)
- 1 tablespoon almond slivers
Instructions
MAKE THE PASTA FROLLA
- Place the flour on a work surface and make a hole in the center. Pour in the sugar, lemon zest (optional), salt and eggs at room temperature. Mix and add the cold butter. Knead quickly until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
- Shape into a loaf, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
MAKE THE RICOTTA CREAM
- Drain the ricotta in a colander to remove its liquids. Then place the ricotta in a bowl and mix to make it creamy.
- Finally add the sugar and mix well until smooth.
- Whip the whipping cream.
- Add the grated lemon zest and, stirring gently, incorporate the whipped cream into the ricotta.
- Ricotta cream is ready! Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
BAKE THE TART CRUST
- Take the pasta frolla from the refrigerator and roll it out to a thickness of about ½ cm (¼ inch).
- Place the pasta frolla in a tart mold, lined with baking paper. Preferably with the removable bottom, so you will not have difficulty to pull out the tart once baked.
- Cut off the excess edges of dough with the help of a rolling pin as in the pictures.
- Prick the bottom of the tart crust with the prongs of a fork. Then place a sheet of baking paper on the tart crust.
- Add rice, beans or the special ceramic weights beans for tarts and pies. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350 F) for about 20 minutes.
- Lift and remove the parchment paper with the weights and let the tart crust bake for another 5 minutes. Finally, take it out of the oven and let the tart crust cool completely.
ASSEMBLE THE PREPARATIONS
- Only when the pastry shell is cold enough can you go ahead and fill your tart with the ricotta cream. So, pour the cream into the pasta frolla crust with the help of a pastry bag or spoon, leveling it very well.
- Now you can top the tart with fresh figs. The figs should be well ripe but not too soft. Wash them gently under water and then dry them with a cloth or kitchen paper.
- You can cut the figs into thin rounds or wedges, as you prefer.
- Arrange the wedges in concentric circles with the skin side down. Cover the entire surface.
- Decorate with almond slivers and serve.
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