Recipe: Italian Sweet Goat Cheese Tart (Crostata al Caprino)

ITALIAN SWEET GOAT CHEESE TART
(CROSTATA AL CAPRINO)



"While visiting Matera (Basilicata), I was delighted to meet Francesco Abbondanza, owner of the restaurant Lucaniere, where I had been hoping to sample his highly reputed cuisine. Sadly, he had closed the restaurant while working on a new project, a store called L'Abbondanza Lucana. When I mentioned that I'd hoped to discover an innovative dessert or two at his restaurant, he began to describe his specialty - a tart filled with a rich mousse made with the local goat cheese, topped with seasonal fruits. He explained the process and urged me to try it. I was delighted when I did. Though I never had the chance t o try Abbondanza's tart, this one follows the process he shared with me. Simple and delicious, it is easily adapted to the seasons, crowned with berries in spring, sliced nectarines or peaches in summer, and fresh figs in fall. In winter, Abbondanza tops the tart with preserves he makes using the amarena cherries that grow abundantly in that area. As on a cheese plate, just about any fruit, fresh or preserved, seems to pair well with the sweet-tangy goat cheese filling. Choose a mild, creamy-style goat cheese, such as chevre, or what the Italians refer to as caprino (capra is Italian for goat)."

1 single-crust short-crust pastry dough (click here for recipe)
10 ounces (285 g) fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup (83 g) confectioners' sugar, plus more for finishing
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy (whipping) cream
Fresh berries, other fruits, or preserves, for topping the tart

TO PREPARE THE CRUST:
Make the pastry dough, flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll the pastry dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to the tart pan, settling it into the pan and pressing it against the bottom and sides. Trim the overhang flush with the edge. (The scraps can be rolled, cut, and baked as cookies.) Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177C) with a rack in the center of the oven.

Butter a piece of parchment paper and place it buttered side down over the tart shell, then cover with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment paper and the weights and return the shell to the oven until it is golden around the sides and fully cooked on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Let the shell cool completely in the pan.

ONCE THE SHELL IS COOL, PREPARE THE FILLING:
Put the goat cheese in a bowl and use a spatula to smooth it. Mix in the confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until completely incorporated. Set aside.

Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Use a large spatula to fold about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the goat cheese to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream, gently bringing up the mixture from the bottom over the top to completely incorporate it without losing too much air.

Spread the mousse evenly into the tart shell, smoothing the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mousse is set, 2 to 4 hours, or overnight.

TO SERVE:
Remove the outer rim of the pan and place the tart on its base on a serving plate, or slide it off the base directly onto the plate if you wish. Completely cover the top of the tart with berries or other fruits in a decorative pattern. Sift confectioners' sugar over the top and cut into wedges.

Makes 8-10 servings
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Random House
Source: Southern Italian Desserts by Rosetta Costantino with Jennie Schacht