Pumpkin Ricotta Tart

A step up from the traditional pumpkin pie, this pumpkin ricotta tart deserves a place at your Thanksgiving table. It has a crisp, sweet crust, layers of light and creamy pumpkin ricotta filling and is topped with an olive oil caramel, a handful of cookie crumbs, and whipped crème fraîche.

When it comes to developing recipes for the blog and creating a brand with a clear culinary point of view, I have a very niche perspective. I feel very strongly that home desserts (and honestly, lots of restaurant desserts but that’s a whole other sermon) should be better. As much as I love the classic chocolate chip cookie from the back of the Nestle Toll House bag or can eat my weight in a package of Double Stuf Oreos, it occasionally seems like, when it comes to baking, we lose the sense of adventure that we find in cooking and settle for the same old stuff time and time again. I think that there is space in this little baking world for both—we can enjoy the classics while also challenging ourselves with new and different ideas and flavors.

I’ve had some very fun opportunities to work in fancy schmancy restaurant kitchens alongside some truly genius chefs, who have taught me that there is something special about a great dessert. And I believe we can create that at home. I have two big goals on this blog:

1) to challenge you, home bakers of the inter-webs, to play around with unique and creative flavors that go beyond the familiar chocolate, peanut butter, sugar flavor palette

2) to teach you basic, foundational pastry and baking skills so that you are empowered to create desserts with your very own stamp.

With all of that in mind, when developing recipes, I ask myself a few different questions

Is this recipe familiar enough to draw someone in, yet unique enough to pique their interest?

How can I take the multiple texture, multiple components of fancy plated desserts and incorporate them in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming and labor intensive to a home a kitchen?

What flavors can we create using ingredients that are fairly accessible to a home baker? (aka—no fermenting summer flowers to reduce and use all through winter)

about this pumpkin ricotta tart recipe

All of that to say that this recipe ticks all the boxes. This was a fairly quick recipe to develop—one day, the idea just popped into my head and from conception to completion, the recipe development process only took two days. It just works.

I wanted to create a dessert for your Thanksgiving table that felt grown-up and elegant, while also familiar and comfortable. I wanted to create a dessert that could be made ahead of time, used very few dishes and only a little hands-on time, but that would look like you poured days into it. Et voila-a perfect pumpkin ricotta tart was born.

For this tart there are really two basic components: (plus a few optional extras to really wow everyone)

  • a tart crust: For this recipe, and most tart recipes, we are using a basic pate sucreé or sweet crust dough. The difference between a sweet crust (sometimes called shortcrust) and a pie crust is simply the addition of eggs and sugar. The final result falls somewhere between a pie crust and a cookie. The tart crust itself takes maybe 10 minutes to make, but does need a little chill time. You can make it a few days ahead, chill it overnight, roll it out and line your tart pan and then just store your lined tart pan in the freezer until you’re ready to bake.

  • a ricotta filling: We love a creamy ricotta filling. It feels a little like cheesecake but without being a giant slice of dairy, it’s light and fluffy and really quite dreamy. This ricotta filling is made in the food processor for maximum fluffiness and minimal effort. There’s a bit of citrus zest, sugar, cream cheese, eggs and yolks, and good ricotta (more on that later). Then, a portion of the filling is separated out doctored up with pumpkin and lots of festive spices. Once baked, the ricotta filling needs an overnight chill so again, you can make this whole dessert the day before.

  • extras: In my humble opinion, there are two things that take a dessert from good to great: 1) contrasting flavors and 2) contrasting textures. For this tart, a very simple whipped crème fraîche takes the place of whipped cream and the cultured, tart flavor helps cut through some of the sweetness. I also made an olive oil caramel for plating and drizzling (again, you can make this lots of days ahead and keep it in your fridge) and I sprinkled some cookie crumbs on top. I used a bit of hazelnut streusel that I had in the freezer from another recipe, but you can use any crunchy cookie you’d like, store-bought or homemade (gingersnaps would be my number one recommendation)

picking good ricotta cheese

At risk of sounding bougie or a little too much like Ina Garten, good ricotta cheese is worth it. Often in Italy, ricotta is a sheep’s milk cheese, but most of what you see in American grocery stores is made from cow’s milk. High quality ricotta cheese has a richer (more cheese-like) flavor and larger curds. If you think about the tubs of ricotta cheese that you find in the refrigerated aisle of the grocery store, you’ll notice that the curds are very small, almost grain-like because of the fact that they make it in large-scale production. Fresher, smaller batch ricotta has larger curds and is a bit fluffier.

At my grocery store, they have small batch ricotta by the deli in the fancier cheese section (you can probably find this at markets like Whole Foods or Fresh Market). It’s a bit more expensive, but not outrageous. I think I spent $5 on the amount I used in this recipe. If you can’t find the artisan ricotta, a tub will work in this recipe—just be sure to buy the one labeled “whole milk”, you want all the richness and creaminess you can get!

Pumpkin Ricotta Tart
Yield
8
Author
Prep time
45 Min
Cook time
50 Min
Inactive time
6 Hour
Total time
7 H & 34 M

Pumpkin Ricotta Tart

A step up from the traditional pumpkin pie, this pumpkin ricotta tart deserves a place at your Thanksgiving table. It has a crisp, sweet crust, layers of light and creamy pumpkin ricotta filling and is topped with an olive oil caramel, a handful of cookie crumbs, and whipped crème fraîche.

Ingredients

for the tart dough (adapted from Nicola Lamb)
  • 90 g (just shy of 1 cup) sifted powdered sugar
  • 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 30 g (1/3 cup) almond flour
  • 230 g all purpose flour
  • Pinch (about 1/8 tsp) kosher salt
  • 1-2 tbsp ice water
for the filling
  • 10 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground all spice
for the olive oil caramel
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (56 g) heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch of flaky salt

Instructions

to make the tart crust
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sifted powdered sugar and cubed cold butter. Mix on low speed until all of the sugar has been hydrated, mixture is creamy, and no dry spots remain.
  2. Add the egg yolk and mix again for about 20 seconds to combine.
  3. Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing on medium-low speed until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated and the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
  4. Add one tablespoon of ice water and continue mixing until the dough begins to form large clumps and can be pressed together in your hand. Add the remaining tablespoon of water if needed or dough seems very dry.
  5. Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  6. When the dough has chilled, turn it back out onto the surface and roll it into a large circle, approximately 1/4” thick. Carefully transfer it to a tart pan with a removable bottom and gently press the dough into the pan. Trim the edges and transfer to the freezer for 15-20 minutes before baking.
  7. Preheat the oven 325° F. Line the tart dough with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with rice or baking beans. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove the rice/baking beans and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until very golden. Let cool completely.
to make the filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine ricotta, cream cheese, egg, egg yolk, sugar, orange zest, and salt. Pulse for about 30 seconds, until mixture is very well combined and smooth.
  3. Spoon about one 1/3 of the ricotta mixture into a bowl and whisk in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice.
  4. Pour the remaining 2/3 of the ricotta mixture into your prepared tart shell and then top it with the pumpkin filling. Smooth into an even layer.
  5. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the center is set and only slightly wobbly in the middle. Let cool completely, and then wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight (or at least 4 hours).
to make the olive oil caramel
  1. Place the sugar in a medium saucepan and set it over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar begins to liquify. At this point, you can gently swirl the pot to ensure even coking. Continue to cook, watching closely until all of the sugar has dissolved and the caramel is a deep amber color.
  2. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until caramel is smooth and golden. Remove from the heat and whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Transfer the caramel to a bowl and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  3. **Take care, after adding the heavy cream, not to cook the caramel for too long- just a minute or two until smooth. Cooking the caramel too long will take it to the “soft ball stage” of sugar cooking and your finished sauce will be thick and chewy, more like caramel candies than a silky smooth sauce.**

Notes:

To make whipped crème fraîche: You can totally go for classic whipped cream on top of this tart if that’s your preference, but I really love the contrasting tang that a whipped crème fraîche provides. Simply combine 2 parts crème fraîche (I love the Vermont Creamery brand), 1 part heavy cream, and a couple of spoonfuls of powdered sugar (how sweet you like your whipped cream is up to you) in a large bowl. Whisk vigorously until the cream is thick and soft peaks form when you lift the whisk out of the bowl. 

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Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Tart

This simple, summer fruit tart is made with a no-bake ricotta cheesecake filling and topped with honey roasted apricots and spiced pistachios.

apricot and ricotta tart -18.jpg

‘Tis the season for buying all of the fresh summer produce and piling them into buttery-crusts! Summer is my very favorite baking season because fruit and veggies are in abundance and they really don’t need much coaxing to shine in easy-peasy desserts. This roasted apricot and ricotta tart is a beautiful way to showcase those little golden gems, it’s endlessly adaptable and it will be on repeat in our house this summer.

short crust pastry for tarts

The base of this tart, and really any fruit tart, is a simple short crust pastry. There are three main types of pastry: pâte brissée, pâte sucrée, and pâte sablée. Pâte brissée is your basic pie crust that can be used in sweet or savory applications. The word brisée in French means broken, which makes sense due to the flaky, delicate layers in traditional pie crust. Pâte sucrée is a sweeter crust, traditionally used in tarts. The process is similar to brisée in that butter is worked into dry ingredients, but usually includes the addition of an egg yolk, which shortens the gluten strands in the crust and gives a crumblier, more moist texture. Finally, pâte sablée, or sandy crust, is a more cookie-like crust made with more sugar than the other two and uses the creaming method for mixing. For this tart, and most of our other fruit tarts, we are using a basic pâte sucrée for the base.

I incorporated a bit of spelt flour because I love to play with alternative flours, but you can certainly make this crust using 100% all purpose flour. You could also substitute the spelt flour for an equal amount (by weight) of rye flour or even semolina flour. When experimenting with incorporating alternative flours, I always start at 25% of the total flour weight.

apricot and ricotta tart-12.jpg

a no-bake ricotta cream filling

The filling for this tart is reminiscent of a cheesecake filling—tangy and lightly sweetened. It’s made by simply creaming together whole-milk ricotta cheese and softened cream cheese until smooth, and then adding a bit of powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Everything is beaten until very smooth and then poured into the baked crust and allowed to set for at least 4 hours. If you’d like to swap out the ricotta, mascarpone would be a great substitution.

how to make an apricot tart

Apricots are such fun fruits and they are only available for a short window of time so I really wanted them to shine in this tart. Roasting fruit allows helps to gently caramelize them, pulling out and highlighting all of the residual sweetness. Since apricots can be a bit on the tart side, roasting helps the sharpness to mellow out a bit. Pitted apricots are tossed in honey and lemon juice and then allowed to roast in a 350° F oven for 20-30 minutes, until soft and bubbling.

To make the tart, we start with a simple shortcrust pastry. Flour, sugar, and salt are blitzed with cold butter in a food processor, then an egg yolk and a bit of water is added until a dough begins to come together. The dough is pressed together, wrapped, and chilled, before being rolled out and baked in a tart pan.

While the tart shell is cooling, the ricotta filling is whipped together and then poured into the tart shell. Roasted apricots are piled on top and the whole thing heads to the refrigerator for a long chill. Before serving, the tart is sprinkled with spiced pistachios.

apricot and ricotta tart instagram-1.jpg
apricot and ricotta tart -26.jpg
Yield: one 9" tart
Author: Anna Ramiz
Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Tart

Roasted Apricot and Ricotta Tart

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 5 H & 15 M
This simple, summer fruit tart is made with a no-bake ricotta cheesecake filling and topped with honey roasted apricots and spiced pistachios.

Ingredients

for the tart crust (adapted from Wild Sweetness by Thalia Ho)
  • 1 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (175 g) all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (50 g) powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp ice water
for the roasted apricots
  • 10 apricots, pitted and quartered
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • Juice of 1/2 of a large lemon
for the ricotta cream filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 8 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
for the spiced pistachios
  • 1 cup (140 g) pistachios
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

to make the tart crust
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Pulse once or twice and then add the cubed butter. Pulse again for about 30 seconds, until butter is broken up into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and water and continue to pulse just until dough begins to come together.
  2. Turn dough out onto a work surface and gently knead into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 24 hours.
  3. When the dough has chilled, place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out to a circle about 11” in diameter and 1/4” thickness. Gently transfer the crust to a 9” tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the sides and bottom into the pan and then trim edges. Dock the crust with a fork and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake chilled crust for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely. *Crust can be make a day ahead, wrapped loosely, and stored at room temperature. *
to make the roasted apricot and ricotta tart
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine pitted and quartered apricots, 1 tbsp honey, a pinch of salt, and the juice of half of a lemon. Stir to coat and transfer to a baking dish.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes until apricots are soft and begin to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the ricotta and continue to beat until there are no more chunks and mixture is combined. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Continue to mix until everything is well incorporated and cream is light and fluffy.
  5. Pour ricotta cream into baked tart shell and use an offset spatula or spoon to smooth into an even layer. Top with cooled, roasted apricots and transfer the entire tart to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until set.
  6. Just before serving, make the spiced pistachios. Preheat oven to 350° F. Toss pistachios, olive oil, honey, and spices together in a large bowl until everything is well-coated. Transfer nuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes until deeply golden and caramelized. Let cool completely and then roughly chop. Sprinkle spiced pistachios over finished tart and serve immediately.

Notes:

This tart is endlessly adaptable:


  • You can substitute any fruit for the apricots, just keep an eye on them as they roast since different fruits may need a shorter or longer baking time.
  • Swap ricotta for mascarpone cheese.
  • If you really don't want to turn on your oven, you can easily trade the tart crust for a simple cookie crust. Here's a recipe that you could use.
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