Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato (Ricotta and Chocolate Tart) is a classic Italian dessert, more so of the Roman tradition, and consists of a short pastry (pastafrolla) with a delicate filling of ricotta, orange zest or cinnamon, and dark chocolate. In Rome, it is served as a Sunday meal dessert, or on special occasions, like Easter.
Song of the day: Get Out Of Your Own Way - U2.
Ricotta is a favourite component of many Italian Easter traditional foods, sweet and savory, from North to South, with variations according to the Region. In Rome, this traditional Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato is a very popular and irresistible dessert that brings back memories associated with family and comfort.
Classic Italian dessert
Crostata evokes scenes from Sunday lunches with family, when, even if you're full, you find space for dessert.
Or else, you find crostata on an Easter breakfast table, like the ones that my mother tirelessly prepares every year. Easter breakfast/brunch at my parents' place is a regular stop for relatives and friends, where in addition to this delicious tart, they always find traditional sweet and savory treats.
But also, crostata is the popular homemade dessert present at every birthday party, among other desserts. Either the classic with jam, or the one with Nutella, or this one with ricotta and chocolate, it's heaven on a dessert table.
What is a crostata?
Although it might look like a pie because of its lattice top, crostata is actually a tart. To explain, a buttery pastafrolla (short pastry) marries a creamy filling and is topped by lozenges in a diamond shape. The filling can be made of jam, custard, chocolate, ricotta and jam, or ricotta and chocolate.
In Italy, galette and crostata are not synonymous. One is free-form and open-faced, the other is always baked in a tart pan and has a lattice -or artistic- top.
A fragrant tart
The pastafrolla is flavored with lemon zest and vanilla, while the ricotta filling can be flavored either with orange zest or cinnamon, thus making the Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato a very fragrant tart. Whenever we use the grated zest, we only use organic citrus fruits.
A note on Italian ricotta
Ricotta, means 'recooked' in Italian. Traditionally, in Rome, we use sheep milk ricotta, known as ricotta romana d.o.p. , one of the most renowned ricotta in Italy. D.O.P. means that it has a protected designation of origin and the method of production follows strict requirements. Ricotta romana is extremely low in fat content, has a light and smooth texture, and a delicate, sweet flavor, that makes it particularly suitable for desserts.
Commercial ricotta
Of course, to make the filling for this tart, you can use whatever commercial ricotta is available to you. Nonetheless, try to get good quality ricotta, less grainy, and possibly smoother. If too creamy, drain your ricotta in a colander to get rid of excessive moisture. If too granular, pass it through a sieve.
The chocolate
Not only ricotta is important, but also the quality of the chocolate. You can use chocolate chips or chunks. I prefer to use a good dark chocolate bar, at least 70 % cacao. I roughly chop the chocolate with a sharp knife, and when I blend it with the ricotta, the egg, the cinnamon, and the sugar, it creates those swirls of chocolate that remind me of the Stracciatella gelato.
Roll the dough
- Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature. Cut a piece, about a ¼, that you will need for the decorative strips (lattice) and place it back in the fridge.
- Roll out the remaining dough with a rolling pin in between two sheets of parchment paper to about a 4 mm thickness.
Assemble
- Remove the top paper and flip the dough onto a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (you could also use a springform pan). Remove the other paper, and press the pastry at the bottom and on the sides of the pan.
- Pass the rolling pin over the rim, then, with a sharp knife, cut the excess dough all around. Lastly, puncture the bottom of the tart with a fork.
Fill
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Fill the pastry shell with the ricotta mixture, smoothing it with a spoon.
- Take out the small piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out to a rectangle about 3 mm thickness. Cut strips of dough, about 2 cm wide and arrange them in a diamond pattern over the filling. Push the edges into the sides of the case so they are joined.
And bake
- Lastly, bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes. Check it often during the last minutes of cooking. When the edges and top are golden, it is ready.
Classic Italian
Put some finishing touches on the tart by sprinkling it with powdered (icing) sugar. A classic Italian touch.
For me, this Classic Italian Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato is also a memory of going out with friends, and a must stop at the Ghetto, the Jewish Quarter of Rome, for a taste of this heavenly tart at one of the bakeries. This tart, together with Crostata Ricotta e Visciole (Ricotta and Sour Cherry Tart), are among the most characteristic and famous Roman desserts. They were born in the Ghetto, and from there they took off, finding themselves on the tables of Roman families, and on restaurant and pizzeria menus.
Taste test
When you bite in, a symphony of flavors plays on your tastebuds and delight your sense of smell: the delicate, fragrant short pastry crumbles and melts in your mouth, embracing a luscious and creamy ricotta filling. The cinnamon compliments well the little "nuggets" of dark chocolate that burst in your mouth.
How do I store it?
Since it has ricotta, it is best to keep the crostata in the fridge. It lasts about 3 days, lightly covered on a plate or kept in an airtight container. It is good eaten cold, kind of like an Italian cheesecake, or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
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Classic Italian Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato
Classic Italian Crostata Ricotta e Cioccolato (Ricotta and Chocolate Tart) is a dessert of the Roman tradition and consists of a short pastry (pastafrolla) with a delicate filling of ricotta and dark chocolate. In Rome, it is served as a Sunday dessert, or on special occasions, like Easter.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the 'pastafrolla' (short pastry dough):
- 300 g (2 cups + 1 Tbsp) flour type 00 (or all-purpose)
- 100 g (½ cup) cane or granulated sugar
- 100 g (¼ cup + 3 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs, organic free-range
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, the zest, grated
For the filling:
- 400 g (2 cups) ricotta
- 80 g (heaping ⅓ cup) sugar
- 1 egg
- the zest of 1 orange, grated or ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 90 g (½ cup) semi-sweet or dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped or chips
- icing (powdered) sugar, for decoration
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a food processor, add the sugar, the cubed butter, and the sifted flour/baking powder. Mix, pulsing until you obtain a "sandy" mixture.
- Then add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and pulse the mixture just until slightly mixed. Do not overheat the pastry with the blades.
- Pour it onto a work surface and work it lightly with your hands until you get a ball of dough. Flatten it, wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about ½ an hour to 1 hour.
- In the meantime, in a bowl, add the ricotta and the sugar. With a fork or a whisk, mix it until smooth, kind of like whipped ricotta.
- Next, add the egg and the orange zest or cinnamon. Stir gently to incorporate.
- Finally, add the chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula. Set in the fridge.
- Take the pastry dough out of the fridge, and bring it to room temperature. Cut a piece, about a ¼, that you will need for the decorative strips (lattice) and place it back in the fridge.
- Roll out the remaining dough with a rolling pin in between two sheets of parchment paper to about a 4 mm thickness.
- Remove the top paper and flip the dough onto a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (you could also use a springform pan). Remove the paper, and press the pastry at the bottom and on the sides of the pan.
- Pass the rolling pin over the rim, then, with a sharp knife, cut the excess dough all around. Lastly, puncture the bottom of the tart with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
- Fill the pastry shell with the ricotta mixture, smoothing it with a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Take the other piece of dough out of the fridge and roll it out to a rectangle, about 3 mm thick. Cut strips of dough with a ravioli or pizza cutter, about 2 cm wide.
- Arrange the strips in a diamond pattern over the filling. Push the edges into the sides so they are joined.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes. Check it often during the last minutes of cooking. When the edges and top are golden, it is ready.
- Take it out of the oven and let it rest on a rack until it cools completely.
- Then, extract it from the mold, and sprinkle the whole surface with plenty of icing sugar.
- Store in the refrigerator lightly covered and consume within 3 days. It is good both cold, kind of like a cheesecake, or at room temperature.
Notes
If your ricotta is too watery let it drain in a sieve over a bowl. If too granular, pass it through a sieve.
A 10-inch pan is the perfect size. If you use a rectangular pan or a 9-inch round pan, you will have some leftover pastry dough. You can make shortbread cookies or 1-2 tartlets with jam or chocolate spread.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Tarts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Lorraine Parente says
What size tart pan is that??
35 x 11 cm, but you will have some leftover dough. I made a couple crostatine (tartlets) with jam.
Lorraine Parente says
Thank you....I am literally in the middle making Pastiera and they are in the oven right now....I made them each different, with grain, rice, or pasta....I wish I would have seen this post because it looks to die for. I will make it with the leftover ricotta but wait until after Easter....happy holiday
Thank you! Pretty good that you're making Pastiera! I'll be making Pastiera next Saturday in Rome, at a course with a renowned pastry chef. I'll be posting it after. I just love pastiera and all desserts with ricotta 😉
maria says
As much as I love Christmas baking, I think I prefer all the wonderful traditional baked goods made for Easter. As you say, there are so many recipes that use ricotta... I love it! I also like all the variations that exist. Your crostata looks perfect Nicoletta. I am hoping to post my recipe before Easter... Thanks for sharing yet another wonderful recipe ♥
Thank you, Maria! So many great recipes for Easter, I love them all. Can't wait to see what you made, I'll be posting my Pastiera before Easter too.
crumbtopbaking says
Oh my goodness, this looks like a perfect dessert for spring! Love the sound of the ricotta filling with orange zest and dark chocolate. Those chocolate chunks in the filling are calling may name!
Thank you! As a chocolate lover I'd say that the chunks of dark chocolate just make this tart super awesome 🙂 .
Vanessa | Zest & Simmer says
Oh does this ever look luscious and delicious! I love chocolate orange so I can imagine just how lovely this would taste!
It is so delicious! I really do hope people make it and taste it themselves! Thank you! 🙂
Lorraine Parente says
Wow, enjoy going to Rome....sounds like a wonderful time!! Hope you post recipe because I would definitely like to try whatever you make.....made grain pie for the first time and I did not prep the wheatberries well enough so I need to learn how and practice more
I am in Rome, I am from here, my parents, brother, friends live here. I spend the winter here, then I'll go back to Canada to my husband 🙂 . I'll post it for sure, with hopefully all the tips.
Jenni LeBaron says
What a gorgeous dish. I especially love the chocolate and orange in the filling!
Dark chocolate and orange is such a great pairing! Thank you!
diversivore says
Simply exquisite. I don't know how you survived having three crostata to choose from on the same table. I might have been paralyzed by indecision. Ahhh, who am I kidding? I would have just had them all. Multiple servings of them all. I love seeing desserts that use cheeses, and the silky heavenly ricotta (oh to have the real Roman stuff) sounds absolutely amazing. Gotta say, spring in Italy sounds pretty incredible to me. Cheers!
Aha, ah, exactly, I had all three 😉 . You would love to taste the real Ricotta Romana, so different from the commercial ricotta in the plastic containers! Thank you! Yes, food here is always incredible and in spring it is great!
Marisa says
It’s simply not Easter with a least one kind of ricotta dessert in one form or another for me! I would have to say that ricotta, orange and chocolate is my absolute favourite combination. I love that you made it in a rectangular tart tin, it looks elegant and quite delicious!
I know...Easter means ricotta desserts in every part of Italy. They are so so good and this crostata is simply amazing. Thank you so much!!
Chagit S says
Can it be in a round 8 or 9 inch round pan? Also, is this like in the ghetto in Rome? Was just there and have a book club meeting for a book based in Rome so thought it would be neat to make.
Yes, you can, it will look even more authentic in the round pan. And it will be perfect for your book club, since it's the typical Roman ricotta crostata (like the one you see in the Ghetto) ????.
Francesca Cavallari says
Ciao Nicoletta, you have saved our Easter celebration! Thank you : )
First Easter in UK because of the Covid19, missing family and Italy, waiting from a Colomba from Italy that probably will not be here in time, a daughter that could died for ricotta...in whatever recipies and uses. I will try your recipe and let you know. Thank you again. Buona Pasqua, Francesca&family
Sono proprio contenta! I think you speak Italian and me, too 🙂 . Buona Pasqua, let me know how it goes, è buonissimaaaa!!