Smoked Maple Pecan Tart with Ricotta Cream

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1M cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• 2–3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
• ¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour, sifted
• O cup (180ml) maple syrup
• 2 cups (200g) pecan nuts

Ricotta cream

• 1 cup (250g) ricotta
• ½ cup (60g) icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of apple wood chips

Method

1. Lightly oil a 24cm round loose-base tart tin.
2. To make pastry, place flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. With motor running, add egg yolk and enough water until mixture starts to form a ball. Turn out and shape into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°c fan-forced/ Gas 4. Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 2mm thick and large enough to line base and sides of prepared tin. Press pastry into pan, trimming off any overhang. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Prick base all over with a fork. Line with baking paper. Fill with baking weights. Cook on bottom shelf in oven for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans. Return to oven. Cook for 10–12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely.
5. Place brown sugar, cream, flour and ¼ cup maple syrup in a medium size bowl and whisk until smooth.
6. Sprinkle nuts across the tart base and pour filling over the nuts to cover evenly. Bake tart for 30–35 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool completely. Stir together ricotta, icing sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Add apple wood chips to the burn chamber of the Breville Smoking Gun. Place hose under the plastic wrap with the opening sitting above the ricotta. Turn smoking gun on to HIGH SPEED and ignite wood chips. Switch to LOW SPEED and smoke for a few seconds until the bowl is filled with a dense smoke. Remove hose and reseal plastic wrap. Let infuse for 3 minutes.
7. Place remaining maple syrup in a jug. Cover with plastic wrap. Add apple wood chips to the burn chamber of the Breville Smoking Gun. Place hose under the plastic wrap with the opening sitting above the maple syrup. Turn smoking gun on to HIGH SPEED and ignite wood chips. Switch to LOW SPEED and smoke for a few seconds until the bowl is filled with a dense smoke. Remove hose and reseal plastic wrap. Let infuse for 3 minutes, occasionally swirling the syrup.
8. Serve tart with ricotta cream and drizzle with smoked maple syrup.

Tip: To save time, you can use good quality store-bought sweet shortcrust pastry instead of making your own.