Ricotta & Pear Tart

Ingredients

Sponges

• 2 x 22cm round cake tins
• 300g eggs (6)
• 130g caster sugar
• 180g toasted hazelnuts
• 60g Tipo '00' flour
• 100g melted butter

Pear Syrup

• 200m1 water
• 150g caster sugar
• 100g pear liqueur

Filling

• 400g Williams pears, diced
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 100g icing sugar
• 2Oml rum
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 800g ricotta cheese
• 300g caster sugar
• Seeds from I vanilla bean
• 300g whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar for dusting

Method

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of 2 x 22cm round cake tins.
2. In a bowl,beat eggs and sugar together until thick and tripled in volume.
3. Place hazelnuts and flour into the bowl of the Kitchen Wizz Food Processor; process until fine. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
4. Gradually sprinkle flour mixture over egg mixture while simultaneously folding in with a large metal spoon until just combined. Divide mixture between prepared tins and level batter. Bake for 10 minutes or until cake begins to come away from the sides and springs back when gently touched.
5. Turn out onto baking paper-lined wire racks. Carefully peel away baking paper, then leave to cool.

Pear Syrup

1. Boil the sugar and water for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and then add the liqueur. Cool.

Filling

1. Place the 8 mm diced pears in a saucepan, along with the lemon juice and the icing sugar. Place saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Carefully add rum (as it may splatter) and cook for a further 5 minutes. Sprinkle a spoonful of potato starch or cornstarch over the mixture and stir until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Place ricotta, caster sugar and vanilla into the Kitchen Wizz Food Processor bowl and process using the Quad® Blade until well combined.
3. Whip the cream. Combine cream and ricotta mixture and continue to beat until mixture is firm. Refrigerate and set aside.

To Assemble

1. Brush a little of the syrup onto each sponge cake. Top one sponge cake with the ricotta cream and pear mixture. Top with second sponge cake. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Dust with icing sugar, then spoon extra diced pear on top and serve.